South America Best XI of Golden Oldies

South American nations may be confident in their youthful talent, but over the years, they have also placed great value in wise, old heads (with an emphasis on the old). This year, Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, at the age of 43 years and three days, became the oldest player to ever play in the FIFA World Cup. His compatriot, Mario Yepes, was the oldest outfield player at the 2014 Cup, aged 38.

Here is a line-up of eleven great South American players to have continued playing for their national team well into the twilight of their playing careers. They are all legends of South American football.

Paraguayan goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert is probably best known for his free-kicking skills (see video above) and his supreme confidence in his own abilities. An eccentric character, he left his mark on the world game and Colombian striker Faustino Asprilla in a qualifier in 1997, punching the forward in the head when he was sat on the bench.

He retired from international football in 2003 after 74 caps and quit the game completely a year later, aged 38. He finished his career with an astonishing 62 goals to his name.

Cafu was an explosive right wing-back who won 142 caps for Brazil. He stopped playing aged 36, having featured in three FIFA World Cup Finals, winning in 1994 and 2002.

A legend of the international game, he captained Brazil to their triumph over Germany in 2002. The way he complemented Roberto Carlos on the Brazilian left gave the side balance and extraordinary potency in attack.

Hector Chumpitaz, who retired from international football at 38, was the bedrock of the golden era of Peruvian football in the 1970s.

Chumpitaz was integral to their Copa America win in 1975 and the quarter-final appearances at the World Cups in Mexico 1970 and Argentina 1978. The centre-back was stylish passer, who looked at ease on the ball but combined this with strong aerial prowess, and the occasional free-kick (see video).

Mario Alberto Yepes is 38, and was still a key cog at the back for Colombia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The oldest outfield player in Brazil, Yepes captained his national side with authority and tranquillity. Still supreme in the air, he is as athletic a 38-year-old defender as will ever take the field. 

In the Brazil 2014 Group C opener against Greece, Yepes bellied his years to make a lung-bursting run deep into opposition territory. Against the Ivory Coast, he was titanic at the back in the final ten minutes as Colombia withstood the Ivorian onslaught.

As the video above shows, he is a motivator capable of acrobatic goals. 

Ecuador’s Ivan Hurtado retired from international football at the age of 36, having amassed a staggering 167 caps.

Hurtado was particularly strong in the air and was well-known as a commanding figure and defensive organiser. A general on the field, he now directs a child’s foundation in the place of his birth, Esmeraldas.

Javier Zanetti was consistently one of the best players in the world throughout a near 20-year international playing career. One of Zanetti’s greatest assets was his versatility.

Comfortable as a winger or full-back on both flanks, or as a central midfielder, Zanetti retired from Inter Milan in May aged 40. From 1994 to 2011, he amassed 145 caps for Argentina, despite being surprisingly excluded from the squads for the 2006 and 2010 World Cup.

None other than Zinedine Zidane claimed that Enzo Francescoli was his idol growing up watching Marseille. He even named his son Enzo after the iconic player . An elegant midfielder, Francescoli played 73 times for Uruguay, including at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.

Announcing his retirement as he approached his 36th birthday, his career highlights were three Copa America triumphs, including leading Uruguay to their 1985 win on home soil.

Ruben Paz may have stopped playing for Uruguay in his early 30s, but he makes this team for continuing to play domestically until he was 47. A highly gifted player, in his pomp he was one of best creative midfielders in the world. As FIFA.com noted in its Classic Football series:

"Should any football historian compile a list of the greatest left-footers ever to play the game, Uruguayan Ruben Walter Paz would have a very strong case for inclusion."

The iconic Carlos Valderrama retired after the 1998 World Cup aged 36, having made 111 appearances for Colombia.

“El Pibe” (“the kid”), who was South American footballer of the year in 1987 and 1993, typified the exuberance of Colombian football in the late 1980s, and early 1990s. Valderrama was a classical “Number 10” playmaker, noted for his passing game and comfort in possession. And he’s also famous for his hair.

Angel Labruna’s international career was unfortunately curtailed by missing four World Cups in a row. The 1942 and 1946 editions were cancelled due to the Second World War, and Argentina refused to compete in 1950 and 1954.

He finally did play in the World Cup in Sweden in 1958 aged 39. In the intervening years, Labruna won a series of Argentine championships with River Plate, scoring 293 goals in a career spanning 22 years with the Buenos Aires club.

Romario scored 55 goals in 70 matches for Brazil. The diminutive striker retired from international duty in 2005, aged 39.

As Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery notes, as per the BBC:

We're talking of one of the great centre-forwards. He's a master of the reduced space of the penalty area.

A square metre for him is like an acre. Why? Low centre of gravity, powerful thighs so he can explode, wonderful finishing ability. Both because he's very proficient technically, but also because he's so cold in front of goal.