The FIFA World Cup is gaining prominence and becoming a topic of discussion. For an older player, playing like a young player cannot think.

The immense power of constant hard work, practice, and consistency always yields astonishing results without any age barrier.

In most sports, people generally believe that young players can only flourish. But some players are gems, and they play as no one else can, as we recently saw in the World Cup.  Scotland’s Craig Gordon is one of the oldest goalkeepers, aged 43 years and 162 days.

The mean age of all 145 goalkeepers at the tournament is 29 years and 298 days. 77 of them — more than half — are older than that, and 25 of them are aged 35 and above. Going by appearances, 39 of the 145 keepers rank in the top 10 for worldwide caps within their respective national team squads. This means that more than a quarter of the designated keepers aren’t just depth pieces or standard starters, but amongst the most experienced leaders in their respective team formats.

Here, we truly see that years of experience lead to utter expertise, which is an entirely different beast from the club game. Where clubs train organized for eight months in the year, international sides only assemble intermittently in brief two-week windows. Nowhere does this become more evident than in the profiles of their goalkeepers. By a great share of the passing responsibility taken up by the outfield players in the opposition half, goalkeepers become spectators, passengers in possession.

Definitely, former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia predicted that the World Cup this summer will be “dominated by teams with a midfield that can control and dictate”, as the sweltering heat will deter high-pressing sides from incessantly “careering and running around the ball.”

Previously, the prime demand of goalkeepers was their capability to stop a goal-bound shot. But the modern game has grown significantly over the past decade, emphasizing playing out from the back. Now there is a bigger focus on their aptitude in possession, with the ball at their feet.