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Worlds oldest footballer claims well near clubhouse is fountain of eternal youth

Some sports stars take the money and run as soon as they hit their mid-30s. But others like this lot just keep going

[Sir Stanley Matthews was still playing top-flight football at 50]

Sir Stanley Matthews was still playing top-flight football at 50(Image: Getty Images)

Snooker legend Ronnie OSullivan has admitted he may never retire, as the Daily Star revealed this week. The seven-times world champ, 49, had originally planned to hang up his cue when he turned 35.

But The Rockets not the first sporting icon who struggled to give up their passion. Now we meet the stars who just went on and on

George Foreman thrill: Boxer George Foreman, then aged 45, had already been fighting for decades when he knocked out 26-year-old Michael Moorer in 1994. That punch made him the oldest world heavyweight champion in history.

He held on to the title for another year before retiring for good in 1997.

[You'd have to be brave to tell 45-year-old George Foreman he's too old for anything]

You'd have to be brave to tell 45-year-old George Foreman he's too old for anything(Image: Getty Images)

Stan the man: Stoke City legend Sir Stanley Matthews is the only player ever to have been knighted while still playing football.

Born in 1915, he represented England at the age of 42, making him the oldest player ever to have done so. He was still taking part in top-flight games until the age of 50.

Oscar winner: Life began at 60 for Swede Oscar Swahn, when he won his first Olympic gold for shooting in 1908. He would become the oldest ever Olympian, aged 72, at his third Games appearance in 1920.

Rocking the boat: Rower Steve Redgrave was determined to quit the sport after the 1996 Olympic Games. Then aged 34, he said: Anyone who sees me go anywhere near a boat again, youve got my permission to shoot me.

But he just couldnt resist and went on to win a record-breaking fifth consecutive gold medal four years later.

Water of life: Ukrainian midfielder Mykola Lykhovydov, 59, is the worlds oldest active professional footballer.

Three times the age of many of his teammates, he plays for third-tier FK Real Pharma, in Odesa, where he also works as a coach. He claims the secret of eternal youth is the water from a well near their clubhouse.

[Martina Navratilova plays her last ever Wimbledon in 2006]

Martina Navratilova plays her last ever Wimbledon in 2006(Image: Getty Images)

Putting on the Ritz: Golfer Gary Player proved he could swing with the best in 2011 when he teed off in his last PGA Champions Tour event at the age of 76.

Two years later, he became the oldest ever athlete to pose nude in ESPN Magazines annual body issue. Now aged 89, he still plays golf regularly.

Serving time: By the moment Martina Navratilova retired, aged 49, in 2006, she was twice the age of the average player in her sport.

The tennis star had just made history as the oldest person ever to win a Grand Slam, bagging the US Open mixed doubles title alongside Bob Bryan.

Fast and Louis: Having started his career in 1923, Louis Chiron was almost 56 when he took part in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix. He still holds the record for the oldest ever driver to start a Formula One race.

Louis, who died in 1979, would go on to inspire the iconic Bugatti Chiron supercar.

On the ball: During an astonishing 64-year career, Fred Davis was one of only two people to become world champion in both snooker and billiards. The other was his older brother Joe.

He retired aged 79, in 1993, after losing a Grand Prix qualifier to a 17-year-old Ronnie OSullivan.

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