Alfredo Di Stéfano
Until he turned 31, Alfredo Di Stéfano had played 333 games (140 with Real Madrid) and scored 273 goals (124 with the whites). Before he was 31 he had won 12 titles (two European Cups and three Leagues), but after 31 he raised twice as much: three European Cups, one Intercontinental, five Leagues and one Cup. He left Real Madrid at 38 years old and He retired from football with 40 at Espanyol (47 games and 11 goals).
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Juanito
He stopped being indisputable as a starter with 30 years after seven seasons and being the top scorer of that season. At the age of 32, he went to Malaga, with which he was promoted to First. He retired in 1989 at the age of 34, although in 1991 he played some games with Los Boliches, from Segunda B.
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Puskas
In the summer of 1958 Puskas was 31 years old and about 12 kilos overweight. However, Santiago Bernabéu wanted to sign him, despite opposition from the then Carniglia coach, who considered him a finished player. He played 262 games with 242 goals, and won three European Cups (34 goals in 36 games), five Leagues (154 goals in 179 games), a Copa del Rey (46 goals in 41 games) and an Intercontinental Cup (two goals in two shocks).
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Hugo Sanchez
Only one of his five pichichis reached him when he was over 31 years old. He left with 33 after a showdown with Beenhakker. Later he would go through America, Rayo Vallecano, Atlante, Linz, Dallas Burn and Atlético Celaya, where he retired with 39 years. Of the 207 games he played with more than 31 years, only 80 of them were with Real Madrid. He scored 64 goals with more than 31 years, of the 208 in the white team.
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Gento
He retired from football at the age of 37. Only one of his six European Cups has won it, having exceeded thirty (32). Of course, he won four of his 12 leagues with more than 31 years. Undisputed starter in six of the seven seasons in which he had already turned 31, he played 206 games of the 601 and scored 63 goals of the 182 total.
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Butragueño
Raúl's irruption came to Butragueño when he was almost 32 years old, when he was planning the idea of leaving Real Madrid. In that last season (1994-1995) he played 12 games and scored one goal. He left for Atlético Celaya in Mexico and at the end of his third season, aged 34, with 91 matches and 29 goals, he officially retired from football.
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Amancio Amaro
In his 14 seasons at Real Madrid he achieved his highest number of goals (16) just when he was 30 years old and from then on, he never surpassed the barrier of 10. Five of his 13 titles and 37% of his games in the League (129 out of 344) they were over 31. He retired at 36, two years after the entry of Fernández (Granada) who broke his quadriceps.
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Raúl González Blanco
His retirement from football has been progressive. With 31 years it was the last season in which he remained as the undisputed starter at Real Madrid. Only 9% of his goals (31 of 323) were made with more than 31. He went to Schalke at 33, where he signed 40 goals in two seasons. Then he spent two other campaigns in Al-Sadd and one in Cosmos, where he retired at age 38.
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Santillana
He played 17 seasons for Real Madrid. At the age of 32 and 33, the unforgettable nights of the European comebacks and two UEFA Cups arrived. He also conquered three of his nine Leagues with 31 years. Until he was 33 he remained the undisputed starter until Butrageño took the position from him. Even so, he remained on the staff until he was 35 years old. He played 162 games of the 643 in total, having exceeded 31 years.
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Ronaldo
He did not reach 31 years at Real Madrid. He signed in 2002 for the merengue team, aged 26, after having undergone two knee surgeries and lifting the World Cup in Korea and Japan. In Madrid he scored 104 goals in 177 games until he went to Milan in the winter market of the 2006-2007 season. He turned 31 the following season, when he last played in Europe. He retired at Corinthians in 2011, where he scored an average of 0.51 goals per game (at Madrid it was 0.59).
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Karim Benzema
Benzema reached 31 years of age in December 2018, 6 months after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, his partner in the Madrid attack for 9 years, and with the mission of scoring the goals for the white team. In the 3 seasons without CR7, he has 72 goals.
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Juan Manuel Serrano Arce
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Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese forward turned 31 in February 2016. In the following months he managed to be European champion with his club, Real Madrid, and with his national team. At the age of 32 and 33, he managed to revalidate the Champions League titles with Real Madrid. At 33 and after winning his fifth Champions League he went to Juventus where he continued with his tremendous scoring figures until he became the top scorer in football history.
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