Any talented players that you can think of that made it to top flight football at an "advanced" age?
One of the most talented players I've had the pleasure of seeing play was Julio Daniel Frias also known as "El Maleno"
Maleno didn't make his first division debut until the ripe ol' age of 29 when his home town club of Indios de Ciudad Juarez was promoted to the Mexican first division. He only scored 10 goals in the first division and at 29 it was already to late for him to make a big splash in Mexican football but at times he showed glimpses of brilliance and pure footballing ability.
What's even more remarkable is that at one point he headed off in search of the American dream. Thinks didn't work out for him. At one point he even fell into drug addiction and worse yet was playing in what is essentially the fourth tier of US Soccer. (Hopefully not at the same time.)
Still though, at the end of his playing career he will forever be his hometown club's top goalscorer (30 goals, the club has also now diapered)and can even boast to have scored against 2 of the biggest clubs in the country (America and Chivas) and even boast about scoring a goal at the biggest tournament in Latin American football, La Copa Libertadores.
At the peak of his career he was valued at a whopping 1.1 million pounds.
Here's a small tribute to the hometown hero:
One of the most talented players I've had the pleasure of seeing play was Julio Daniel Frias also known as "El Maleno"
Maleno didn't make his first division debut until the ripe ol' age of 29 when his home town club of Indios de Ciudad Juarez was promoted to the Mexican first division. He only scored 10 goals in the first division and at 29 it was already to late for him to make a big splash in Mexican football but at times he showed glimpses of brilliance and pure footballing ability.
What's even more remarkable is that at one point he headed off in search of the American dream. Thinks didn't work out for him. At one point he even fell into drug addiction and worse yet was playing in what is essentially the fourth tier of US Soccer. (Hopefully not at the same time.)
Still though, at the end of his playing career he will forever be his hometown club's top goalscorer (30 goals, the club has also now diapered)and can even boast to have scored against 2 of the biggest clubs in the country (America and Chivas) and even boast about scoring a goal at the biggest tournament in Latin American football, La Copa Libertadores.
At the peak of his career he was valued at a whopping 1.1 million pounds.
Here's a small tribute to the hometown hero:
