December 5 – The CIES Football Observatory has unveiled a potential Achilles heel for Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina, which have fielded one of the oldest average line-ups of any team in the world across the past 12 months.
The report shows the World Champions rank 12th out of the 144 teams surveyed, showing a warning signs for the side which regularly featured and relied upon ageing stars such as Leo Messi (37) and Angel Di Maria (36).
In fact, more than 40% of players to feature for Scaloni’s side in the past 12 months were over the age of 30 – the highest percentage of older players of any team inside the FIFA top 10.
The team has an average age of 28.89-years-old, with only 2.3% of minutes given to U21 players.
The overall oldest team surveyed continues with the South American theme, with Peru the only team to field an average age of 30+. The stats show that over 80% of Peruvian players to feature for the national team were over 26-years-old, whilst just 1.1% was given to the younger generation (<21).
On the flip side, the Cayman Islands are the youngest side in world football, fielding an average age of 23.05 across the calendar year.
Italy are the youngest top 10 ranked side at 26.35 years, closely followed by Euros runners-up England at 26.44. The three lions stand out as particularly reliant on the younger generation, with 14% of players under the age of 21 and 55% of players under the age of 26.
With Gareth Southgate now firmly out of the picture, it will be interesting to see how England’s approach to youth talent changes under new boss Thomas Tuchel.
Across the various confederations, Iran (29.75 years) and Indonesia (23.90 years) are at each end of the spectrum in the AFC, whilst Egypt (28.6 years) and Chad (23.43 years) occupy these positions for the CAF.
To see the full data click here.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734878558labto1734878558ofdlr1734878558owedi1734878558sni@g1734878558niwe.1734878558yrrah1734878558