The Golden Oldies

Sachin Tendulkar has finally called time on his 24 year old glittering cricket career in which he broke almost all the batting records. Tendulkar’s longevity is epic, despite all the obvious wear and tear, Tendulkar has stood the test of time and has remained a class act. Let us have a look at the rare breed of sportspersons who got better with age, like vintage wine.

1. Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time – winning 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women’s doubles titles (an all-time record) and 10 major mixed doubles titles. The Czech-born American star played until 2006 when she was 49-years-old. In 2004 at Wimbledon, she became the oldest player (at the age of 47) in Open history to win a singles match. This made her the oldest ever Grand Slam champion. She ended her career at the age of 49 by winning the mixed doubles title at 2006 US Open with Bob Bryan.

2. Leander Paes
Leander Paes have won eight doubles and six mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, he is considered to be one of the greatest and most respected contemporary doubles and mixed doubles players in the world. He became the oldest man to have won a grand slam when he won the Men’s Doubles in the 2013 US Open at the age of 40. Apart from his fourteen Grand Slam victories in doubles and mixed doubles events, he is famous for his several memorable Davis Cup performances playing for India and also for winning a bronze medal for India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. His consecutive Olympic appearances from 1992 to 2012 make him the first Indian and first & only tennis player to compete at six Olympic Games. After winning the mixed doubles Wimbledon title in 2010, Paes became only the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three different decades.

3. Paolo Maldini
Words cannot describe the extraordinary career of the greatest left back in the history of football. Having spent his entire club career in the red and black No. 3 shirt of AC Milan, Paolo Maldini enjoyed a record-breaking 25 years in the first team. In that time, he won seven Serie A championships, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italianas, five Champions Leagues, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. Undeniably world class until 38 – an age where former Italy coach Marcello Lippi attempted to coax him out of international retirement for the 2006 World Cup - Maldini captained Milan to Champions League glory one month short of his 39th birthday in 2007. And when he retired at 40 years and 11 months in May 2009 he had just been Milan’s best defender that season.

4. Ryan Giggs
It’s now 23 years since Ryan Giggs burst onto the scene as a prodigious 17-year-old and still he is showing no signs of ending. Originally a left winger with breathtaking pace and exceptional dribbling ability, Giggs was the poster boy of ‘Fergie’s fledglings’ and played a starring role in the club’s treble success of 1999. Since entering his 30s, the Welshman has enjoyed something of a rebirth as a cultured central midfielder and while his trademark acceleration has faded with the passing of time, his intelligence and technical ability have remained razor sharp. Now 39 and a little over a month away from his 40th birthday, the Welshman can count two Champions League successes, thirteen Premier League titles, four FA Cups and four League Cups among his incredible haul of silverware.

5. Ferenc Puskas
A Real Madrid legend and the greatest Hungarian player of all time, Ferenc Puskas was the leader of Gusztav Sebes’ irrepressible Magical Magyars who recorded an incredible 31-match unbeaten run destroying every team that came their way until succumbing to West Germany in the ill-fated 1954 World Cup final. Puskas was still one of the best forwards in the world in his late 30s. He won the Pichichi Trophy for top-scorer in Spain at the age of 37 and a year later scored 15 goals in 23 games as Real Madrid won another league title. At the age of 39, Puskas won the European Cup for a third time – scoring five goals over two games against Feyenoord along the way.

6. George Foreman
In his prime Foreman was a fearsome heavyweight champion, making his name in a memorable series of fights with the likes of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in the early 70s.  George Foreman was also a gold medallist at the 1968 Olympics. He won the World Heavyweight title with a second round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. He made two successful title defences before losing to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He was unable to secure another title shot, and retired following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. Ten years later, he announced a comeback and, in November 1994, at age 45, he regained the Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Michael Moorer. He remains the oldest Heavyweight Champion in history. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76–5, including 68 knockouts.

7. Merlene Ottey
The Jamaican born Merlene Ottey has appeared at a staggering seven Olympics – more than any other track and field star. Ottey has had the longest career as a top level international sprinter, which apparently has not yet concluded as she anchored the Slovenian 4x100 relay at the 2012 European Athletics Championships at the age of 52. She has won 9 Olympic medals (3 silver and 6 bronze) and holds the record for winning the largest number of World Championships medals (fourteen). Her career achievements and longevity have led to her being called the "Queen of the Track".

8. Richard Petty
"The King", as he is nicknamed, is most well known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times.  Statistically he is the greatest driver the sport has ever seen and is one of the most respected figures in motorsports as a whole. He drove in nearly 2000 races over a 35-year career that lasted from 1958 to 1992, winning a record 200 out of them. His final NASCAR win came at the age of 47.

9. Sir Steve Redgrave
The Olympic rowing legend won gold medals at five consecutive Games. The last of which he won in Sydney in 2000 aged 38. With 5 gold medals and 1 bronze, Redgrave is the most successful male rower in Olympic history. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold medals.

10. Dara Torres
Dara Torres has won 12 Olympic medals (four gold, four silver, four bronze), five in 2000 alone. She competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning three silver medals at the age of 41, which made her the only woman over 40 to swim for a U.S. Olympic team. With the exception of 1996 and 2004, Torres has competed in all Summer Olympic Games since 1984. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she competed in the 50-meterfreestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and won silver medals in all three events. She has also won at least one medal in each of the five Olympics in which she has competed, making her one of only a handful of Olympians to earn medals in five different Games.

11. W.G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is considered by many historians to have been the greatest cricketer of all time. Universally known as "W. G.", he played first-class cricket for a jaw dropping 44 seasons, from 1865 to 1908, during which he captained England, Gloucestershire, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), and several other teams.

Other notable mentions are Jack Nicklaus, Francisco Totti, Javier Zanetti, Shaquille O’Neal, and Brett Favre.