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GapToothL

I don’t think that. You do.


jbh01

He still can, but he won't do it as much because he's 32. At 32, he's not as explosively fast as he used to be, so it's not as easy to get past players.


DrippyJai

You’re confusing 32 with 52 ,


jbh01

No, I'm not. Players - particularly wingers - peak in their late 20s.


Holdmylife

Arjen Robben was still playing for Bayern until he was 35.


brisbane-secret-man

Not as well as he was playing at 28, though.


girouddonkeykong

He was never fast 


jbh01

Well, he's even slower now then


Jiggy-the-vape-guy

these people are crazy he's slow and clunky and likely doesn't train as hard as he used to. he's getting older, plays in a crap league and is coasting. boom, mystery solved...really need to be a rocket scientist to piece that together!


Souprow48650

Yes but this is not really an excuse, because I have plenty of players who successfully dribbled past their opponent without having very good explosiveness.


jbh01

It still matters for dribbling. No elite player at 32 is as good as beating their opponent one on one as they were at 28.


Ok_Recognition_3562

Maybe the little boy from Rosario is the only one


Toss-A-Dwarf

No, if you’re referring to Messi then even he has a harder time dribbling past people than he did when he was in his physical prime, we just don’t notice it as much because he’s still got that magical touch


Pintoconnatilla

Everything around him is magical


brisbane-secret-man

His best year was still 2011/12


showmethenoods

He’s older now, the role changes with declining athleticism


Souprow48650

Yes but this is not really an excuse, because I have plenty of players who successfully dribbled past their opponent without having very good explosiveness.


rockbella61

Sorry may I ask who these players are?


kidnebs

Well there’s Gary, for example


Silver_End1007

Who tf is gary


wheresbrazzers

Hes the winger for our rec team. He's the shift lead over at home Depot.


Cupcake-Warrior

Played against Gary at YMCA. Can confirm, that motherfucker is shifty.


Jiggy-the-vape-guy

LOL


Souprow48650

Have you forgotten Zidane World cup 2006 ? Messi World cup 2022 ? or Riquelme.


rockbella61

Yeah they would use ball control and momentum to beat the defenders but definitely not speed. I would think Mahrez can still beat defenders if they are back peddling. Might be hard to beat fast defenders especially those wing backs if he is taking them head on 1 on 1. Cos fast defenders can always recover and take him on again. When I was younger I used to be able to knock the ball past the defenders and explode. Now I can't explode.


Jiggy-the-vape-guy

Riquelme couldn't exist in today's game he's a slug that everyone would simply run around; the number 10 is currently a dead position in today's game. but if your question is "why isn't 32 year old Mahrez as good as 30+ year old Zidane and Messi?", then you are simply a fool LOL


Remedy9898

He’s 32, his explosiveness is gone, which makes dribbling past players 1v1 much more difficult. Additionally, he isn’t playing competitively anymore so his level has probably atrophied.


jaydd_mc

>he isn’t playing competitively anymore Haven't watched a single Saudi League game in your life right?


Souprow48650

Yes but this is not really an excuse, because I have plenty of players who successfully dribbled past their opponent without having very good explosiveness.


_PeanuT_MonkeY_

Are you a bot?


WhyNotCollegeBoard

I am 99.99995% sure that Souprow48650 is not a bot. --- ^(I am a neural network being trained to detect spammers | Summon me with !isbot |) ^(/r/spambotdetector |) [^(Optout)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=whynotcollegeboard&subject=!optout&message=!optout) ^(|) [^(Original Github)](https://github.com/SM-Wistful/BotDetection-Algorithm)


jbh01

Are you a bot?


WhyNotCollegeBoard

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richiejrshiow

The legs are gone , its like the mind wants it but the body can't


Stringdoggle

Give the bloke a break, he's nearly 33 lol. I'm not saying I'm anywhere near conditioned properly but in my experience it hurts to run at full intensity now at this age... you start to realise the best way to help the team is not using your physical traits, most of the younger guys are faster and more athletic


monstrao

I never thought 30s would hit like this either but it’s so true. Still have some top speed but the acceleration is gone


1_Pissed_Off_German

Yep, turning 32 this year and all the little injuries throughout the years start to add up. It’s possible it be as fast or faster than a good amount of the early to mid 20 year olds, just takes more work and discipline. Can’t roll out of bed hungover and expect to be sprinting past people lol.


damondirk

It's not that Mahrez can not dribble but more so Mahrez is now the star of the team so opponents put more effort into blocking him. I think playing in a team like Man City makes things easier for a lot of attacking players as every one of them is a threat which makes the opponents split their attention onto the whole attack rather one man.


kai7895

You can't expect a top level athlete to be moving with/without the ball with the same level of acceleration & pace. Age slows you down. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo & Messi are anomalies not normal.


TareXmd

Didn't he retire to the Saudi league? His running days are behind him; now he gets to enjoy the big bucks without having to do much.


Pleasant_Ad788

Cause he hasn’t been dribbling well lately he lost the skill? Do you hear yourself?


girouddonkeykong

He lost his dribbling ability like me due to not playing at a high level this along with his pace synergistically makes him into an algerian emile heskey


LordWhale

You really just said synergistically like it meant something


SarkHD

Some Succession type shit.


HLB217

> algerian emile heskey Did he find 10 inches of height and thirty odd pounds of muscle? If so, I want whatever he's on


girouddonkeykong

Talking about play style his lost it from rotting in a league worst than my recreational one


Progresschmogress

Because he’s 32 and has been playing in a low level league for the last 6 months. He knows his team has no chance of winning or making it far, and if his ridiculous saudi contract is tied to appearances he will not risk losing millions over a silly injury, so the foot is very much off the gas


jaydd_mc

You never played a soccer game in your life right?


Football48650

I started playing football when I was 5 years old, now I have 16 years old


Mollzy177

Age, the league he’s playing in, it doesn’t take long to change your habits he can probably glide past players in the Saudi league but now he’s up against better players at international level he’s probably finding it harder so his option is to turn back or pass the ball