Women's football is getting younger, but 30-somethings across the globe are proving their worth

New York Times

2 days ago

Sweden forward Kosovare Asllani made her European Championship debut in 2009 — she was 19 when she started a 3-1 quarterfinal defeat to Norway.
Now 35 years old, she is the marquee player of the recently promoted London City Lionesses in the Women's Super League (WSL) and was still forcing her way into Sweden's starting line-up at this summer's Euros.
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It felt cruelly apt that a 19-year-old played a part in helping end her tournament. England's Michelle Agyemang came off the bench to inspire a comeback from 2-0 down as Asllani and Sweden were sent home, again in the last eight, after a penalty shootout.
Continued investment in the women's game has allowed players to find opportunities earlier than ever before — and teenagers are grabbing their chances.
Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland had Sydney Schertenleib, 18, and Iman Beney, 19, in their ranks, with 22-year-old Alayah Pilgrim also impressing.
Vicky Lopez's stunning Euros debut — she turned 19 today — might have eased Spanish anxiety over the early absence of Aitana Bonmati through illness, while Agyemang's goals have rescued defending champions England from defeat in both their two knockout-phase matches so far.
But the veterans are still having their say in Europe — and beyond.
Asllani's two goals and three assists in four matches this summer have proved that older players are not just making it into tournament squads to provide emotional support and look after their younger teammates.
Cristiana Girelli was masterful for Italy, who reached the semifinals of this competition for the first time since 1997. The 35-year-old Juventus striker combined brilliantly with younger players for two goals in the quarterfinal against Norway and had to be almost dragged off the pitch after picking up an injury against England in the last four.
Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, who should win save of the tournament (if not the year, regardless of gender), is 34 but making her European Championship debut.
The same goes for 32-year-old Spanish striker Cristina Martin-Prieto, who made the most of her minutes off the bench with a goal against Portugal in the group stage. And when Wales midfielder and NWSL veteran Jess Fishlock, 38, became the oldest player to score a goal in tournament history, it was also the first by that country's women at a Euros or World Cup.
'It's on another level from 2009 when I played my first tournament,' Asllani said before that loss to England. 'The game is growing all the time. With that visibility the sport is getting now and the recognition, when you watch women's football, you know you want to watch it because it's intense and fun. We don't die!'
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Looking across the three continental tournaments happening right now — these Euros, the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, and the Copa America Femenina in Ecuador — throws up no clear throughline approach to assembling a championship-quality squad.
So, what is the ideal balance of youthful arrogance and elder wisdom, fresh and fearless legs and those that won't buckle under the pressures of stadium lights and a raucous crowd because they have been there so many times before?
France manager Laurent Bonadei skewed his Euros squad toward the youth. He referenced Einstein to justify his decision to leave 35-year-old defender and former captain Wendie Renard out, instead calling up Thiniba Samoura, 14 years her junior, and entrusting the leadership of the back line to 30-year-old Griedge Mbock.
But when France failed to exploit their player advantage against Germany in the quarterfinals and a shootout was needed to separate the sides, few could ignore the unspoken question hanging in the air as 21-year-old Alice Sombath stepped up to take her spot kick: could more age, experience and wisdom have come in handy?
Morocco have the highest number of players aged 34 and older across the three tournaments with four, and are into their second WAFCON final in a row after a dramatic shootout win against Ghana.
They will face nine-time WAFCON champions Nigeria on Saturday, with star striker Ghizlane Chebbak, 34, who has scored four goals in the tournament including a hat-trick against DR Congo, joined by starting goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi (35), Najat Badri (37), and Aziza Rabbah (39) in a squad bidding for their country's first African title in the women's game. Nigeria has only one player on their roster aged 34 or older: backup goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi, 38, who has not played a single minute in the finals so far.
And in South America, despite the gravitational pull that is 39-year-old Brazil great Marta, Colombia has a core group of three older players. Daniela Montoya (the 34-year-old scored twice in their 8-0 drubbing of Bolivia), Catalina Usme, 35, and 34-year-old Carolina Arias outnumber Brazil's older players.
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Apart from Marta, Brazil coach Arthur Elias has called up younger players hungry for a bigger spotlight, such as 20-year-old Dudinha (who recently signed with the NWSL's San Diego Wave), Luany, 22, and 19-year-old Jhonson. The two sides went scoreless in their group stage match on Friday, which saw Brazil lose goalkeeper Lorena to a red card in the 24th minute. It didn't offer many additional data points to determine which approach wins out, but it does further thicken the plot — especially with the possibility of seeing this matchup again.
The women's game is providing more players the luxury of shorter careers if they choose — higher salaries and greater opportunities for retirement could mean fewer years spent on the pitch. And future stars are knocking.
Asllani noted that one of the subtler changes from her first Euros to the present is the post-match jersey swapping — 'We had our names on our shirts, but you couldn't switch shirts,' she said. Now a common ritual, it's also a reminder of how fleeting big-game moments are.
The sport's older players won't be around forever, but watching them in action, you would be forgiven for thinking twice about that.