How old is too old to play in a World Cup? Age has been a point of discussion in this Cup, with legends like Cristiano Ronaldo playing at age 41, and Lionel Messi at 39.

Transcript

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

So you're watching the World Cup and you see a baby-faced player flash across the TV screen, and you think, how old is that kid? There's a 17-year-old on the Mexican national team, an 18-year-old superstar playing for Spain. Then on the other hand, this World Cup has also featured legends of the game like Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who's 41, and Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who is 39. So ancient. Age has been a major point of discussion this year. NPR's Jasmine Garsd reports.

JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: The oldest player to have ever participated in a men's soccer World Cup is 45 years old. I'm talking about Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary. It's a delicate topic, but there's a reality. By age 40, most people don't have the physical stamina of a teenager. And in soccer, this is generally considered to be nearing the age of retirement.

JARROD SPENCER: For some athletes, retirement is analogous to a death.

GARSD: This is Dr. Jarrod Spencer, a sports psychologist who's worked with Olympians and the NFL. Among other things, he helps athletes who are retiring. And he says it can be very difficult to be idolized for years for your physical prowess and then, midway through your life, be told, well, now it's over.

SPENCER: They've got to go through those stages of loss and grieving and come out through the other side of it, hopefully with that acceptance.

GARSD: In this World Cup, there's been a lot of chatter about age, and one of the targets has been Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo. Considered one of the best players in the world, he had a lackluster run in this cup. Earlier this week, Portugal got knocked out. Here's Ronaldo himself talking after a recent match.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO: (Non-English language spoken).

GARSD: "When things go well, people say, great job, Cristiano. When things go wrong, you guys call me a veteran. You say I'm old." Rafa Cabeleira covers soccer for the daily newspaper El Pais in Spain. He's followed the careers of Lionel Messi and Ronaldo. He says he thinks both still have a lot to offer to their national teams. But Ronaldo?

RAFA CABELEIRA: (Non-English language spoken).

GARSD: "He hasn't adjusted well to his new position in the sport. He hasn't adjusted well to not being the superstar he once was." Not all talk about aging and soccer has been negative. Consider the breakout star of this tournament, Cape Verdean goalie Vozinha, who at 40 played his first ever cup, and Messi. He scored eight goals, the most of anyone in this tournament. And yet, no one gets to play forever. And Spencer says for athletes, retiring is especially hard because fans still want to see their heroes, and that means there's still a lot of money to be made.

SPENCER: Look, here's the bottom-line truth - it's a cash grab in pro sports. And every athlete is just trying to stay in it for as long as they possibly can to grab as much cash as they possibly can. But it's not just the athlete. It's all the people around them, all the people that are making money off of them.

GARSD: Among other things, he suggests forming strong real community with other athletes and seeking professional support in transitioning to a different role. And at the end of the day, real fans will stay fans. Like Taim Nadine, a 13-year-old boy from Qatar who lives in New Jersey, plays soccer and retells a story that has absolutely nothing to do with stats or money or trophies or age.

TAIM NADINE: Ronaldo, he grew up with nothing. His dad was alcoholic. And he would just play and play and train. He just kept on going and going and going. And look at him now. He's the reason why I'm playing soccer.

GARSD: Championships come and go. But the memory of the hero that made you fall in love with the sport? That's forever. Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, New York.

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