We have no young people or “old” in big football anymore! What our “dinosaurs” do, while their eliminates Barcelona
Article by Remus Dinu – published on Thursday, 08 May 2025, 13:30 / Updated Thursday, May 08, 2025 13:35
Inter qualified in the Champions League final with 7 players passed for 30 years in the field. Longevity is no longer regarded as an obstacle, the great powers of Europe also put on experience in their strategy. The inevitable comparison with Romania raises certain question marks: why do our “veterans” fail to “burn” more in football that matters? And more worrying, even our young people are able to reach the elite.
The fantastic Inter Milan – Barcelona 4-3, one of the landmarks of the last years, brings to the fore a surprising reality: Six of the people Simone Inzaghi relied at least 45 minutes in the return on “Meazza” are at least 30 years old!
Portar Sommer, masterful with Barcelonma, is 36 years old, the improbable hero of “nerazzuri”, Acerbi, is 37 years old, while the “eternal” Mkhotaryan, a Armenian who has evolved regularly, reached the 36th in the beginning of 2025.
In turn holder with Barça, Turk Calhanoglu is 31 years old and seems “uncooked” in addition to those already mentioned.
“Dinosuri” and on the bench
In addition to the four, other names with great experience came from Internazionale's bank in the second. The first worth mentioning is Matteo Darmian, the defender who will turn 36 in December and which Inter has based more than 50 minutes in the return match.
Dutchman Stefan de Vrij (33 years old), used in the 108th minute of the extensions, and the Iranian Mehdi Taremi (32 years old) were also sent to the field to keep the siege triggered by the “kindergarten” of Barcelona, where Lewandowski (36) and Szczesny (35) are rather “.
The conclusion? Somehow traditional, the Italians are still stressing to rely on experienced footballers, challenging the trends set by other clubs in Europe. Inter is not a singular case. Forced by circumstances, Real Madrid bet in the “double” with Arsenal on Modric (39), Alaba and Rudiger (both 32) or Lucas Vazquez (33).
Beyond other examples in international football, comparison with footballers in Romania tends to be one with delicate accents. And this is because we are completely lacking experienced players who will evolve at a decent level in Europe.
They have Sommer, we Niță
With a significant contribution to the qualification of Inter, the Swiss Yann Sommer, who will turn 37 in December, is preparing for the Champions League final.
The holder of the national gate, Florin Niță, with an indisputable control in previous campaigns, is also 37 years old, but plays in Saudi Arabia, in Damacafter having previously evolved in Turkey, in Gaziantep.
The reserve of “San Niță”, Horațiu Moldovan, recently promoted with Sassuolo in series A. The ex-therapist had caught a transfer to Atletico, but the competition with Oblak was suffocating. It was not evolved at all for Madrid, being ceded in the form of a loan in the Italian second league.
Yann Sommer had a remarkable performance in front of Barcelona / Photo: Getty Images
And in the rest …
The longevity of Stefan Radu, a footballer that the national is not hubborn, seems rather an exceptionand the cases of Mutu, Chivu, Raț, Lobonț or Tătătușanu are already removed over time.
Nicolae Stanciu, 32 years old, another leader of the national team, has evolved in China and Saudi Arabia in recent years, is only now preparing for an comBack in Europe, a Pluto team A.
Reported to the last action of the national team, disregarding Niță, the most experienced footballer was Denis Alibec, 34, “repatriated” by the Lighthouse last year, after playing at Muaether, in Qatar. On the bench was Chipciu, 35, holder at U Cluj, in the Superliga Romania.
Tătărușanu, the last “Mohican”
The trend therefore remains a worrying one for Romanian football. Romanian players either catch less “concrete” contracts in the top 5 Europe, or play on medium -level teams, or choose exotic, very financially, outside Europe. And more than eloquent is that Romania has not had a football for a long time that will represent us in the final stages of the Champions League.
Tătărușanu is the last Romanian footballer who held the banner up in the UCL: taking advantage of the absence of Maignan, has evolved five matches for Milan in the 2022-2023 edition, including in “Optimi”, with Tottenham.
