There was a time when Papiss Cisse was scoring wondergoals for Newcastle, when Danny Drinkwater was lifting the Premier League title with Leicester and when Stephen Ireland was running Manchester City’s midfield.
So what are they doing playing for Wythenshawe Vets over-35s in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Division?
Emile Heskey, Maynor Figueroa, Joleon Lescott, Oumar Niasse, Nedum Onuoha, George Boyd and Jefferson Montero are also part of the star-studded Sunday League team that has 1,867 Premier League appearances, 389 international caps and 15 major honours between them.
Wythenshawe Vets have won back-to-back promotions and earned 30 wins from 32 games last season, but after two County Cup final defeats there was a desire to become even better and a sprinkling of top-flight talent has lifted them to new heights.
Ireland, a clever midfielder that played for Aston Villa, Newcastle and Stoke in Premier League, is friends with Wythenshawe player Blake Norton and was invited down in pre-season.
“Ever since then I’ve never looked back,” he told Sky Sports at Wythenshawe’s latest demolition job, a 13-0 victory over South Liverpool last weekend.
Cisse, who scored 37 goals in 117 top-flight appearances for Newcastle, missed a penalty in the first half but played with a smile on his face throughout before scoring seven after half time.
“We have to have fun, keep fit and enjoy football because this is our life,” said Cisse, who also hit a double hat-trick against Collegiate Old Boys last month.
Papiss Cisse, George Boyd, Maynor Figueroa, Stephen Ireland and Danny Drinkwater line up for Wythenshawe Vets vs South Liverpool
Ireland had opened the scoring against South Liverpool with an instinctive volley while George Boyd, a former winger with the likes of Burnley, Peterborough and Sheffield Wednesday, also netted.
“We’re all retired and it’s nice to get together to continue to play football, keep fit and also from the mental health side of things,” said Ireland.
“A lot of lads can feel a bit stranded and alone when they come out of football. We all live in the same area so help each other.”
The club has grown enormously through the power of social media, attracting several hundred spectators to Hollyhedge Park.
Wythenshawe are, unsurprisingly, showing no mercy winning 6-2, 10-1, 7-1 and 5-2 in the league already. “I can’t fault any of them,” beams manager Kieran Megram.
Premier League title winner Danny Drinkwater playing for Wythenshawe Vets
Drinkwater adds: “We’re not here to take advantage of any standard around, this is purely to get some enjoyment and fitness. Hopefully the opposition see the positives in it as well.”
The 35-year-old midfield played a key role in Leicester’s iconic title victory in 2016. His form led to an England call-up and was followed by a big move to Chelsea, but he played just 23 times in five years and fell out of love with football.
His final matches in professional football came in 2022 for then-Championship side Reading. Playing for Wythenshawe has revived his love for the game.
“I don’t think you can get much more enjoyment out of football than stuff like this,” he said.
“You can’t compare it – you get a bacon sarnie and a beer afterwards, it’s great.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
