Five famous footballers who started their careers late

The 16-year-old is collecting world records, such as the one in the 400 medley, thanks to which she overtook Katinka Hossu's seven-year old record in the 400 freestyle, with which she also overtook Ariane Titmus.

After the record she said: "Obviously this is really fantastic and I'm really happy to get another world record!"

It doesn't end there: during the week she also set other national and junior records and became the first female swimmer to hold world records in the 400 freestyle and 400 mixed at the same time. During the weekend, she also won the 200 butterfly and tried the 200 freestyle as well.

Her presence comes as no surprise to swimming fans. The formidable swimmer, at 14, had been the youngest of the entire North American delegation at Tokyo 2020 and also became the first Canadian since 1984 and 1967 to take two world records in the long pool.

It is often said that to succeed in sports you need to start playing very early.

In most cases this is absolutely true, but it does not apply to everyone.

From Didier Drogba to Ramires, from Jamie Vardy to Miroslav Klose, here are some of the greatest footballers in history who started playing football late.

In this photo gallery we will see the names of some of the greatest footballers in history who started playing late and reached the highest possible level in the field of football.

In team sports, especially in the world of football, it is very common to become a coach after a career on the field, although it is not automatic that being a great footballer is equivalent to becoming a great coach.

There are cases, for example Trapattoni, Guardiola, Cruyff or Capello, who from great players (exceptional in the case of the late Johann) have become great coaches.

But also those like Maradona, Pelè or Toni Adams, to whom this passage did not bring the same success.

Scroll through the photo gallery to find out how coaches have changed since they became football coaches!

Messi and Ronaldo are iconic. The pair of eternal rivals will compete in the fifth World Cup of their careers. Like them, six other players enter this particular record.

In addition to the two phenomena there are the German Matthaus, the Mexican Carbajal and the compatriot Rafa Marquez, Gigi Buffon, Guilleromo Ochoa, Andres Guardado.

Among these, Buffon did not play in all editions: in 1998 he was only called, but never took the field. The same goes for Ochoa, who never took the field in 2006 and 2010.

Choosing one's soccer shoes is a beautiful step in the life of every young boy who starts playing soccer.

Over the years, major international brand have designed beautiful models that have made entire generations of soccer players fall in love.

From the historic Diadora of Roberto Baggio to Tiempo of Gaucho Ronaldinho via the Adidas Predator, a true gem of the early Millennium, we present a short selection of the most iconic cleated shoes ever.

Imagination, intuition, keen eye and speed of execution. Formula 1 drivers employ these skills, on the track, to try to file down a tenth of a second in each corner, and off the track to taunt their colleagues.

When they take off their helmets, some prefer to relax, locking themselves in motor homes, alone or with family members.

Others, however, are eager to have fun and often do so by pulling pranks on teammates or other team members. We have chosen some of the most successful ones on and off the track.

Formula1 is one of the most watched and followed sports shows in the world. The premier category of motorsport features the most extreme, fastest cars and the most talented and skilled drivers in the world. Over the years, safety has also made great strides, mindful of past tragedies.

So many great champions have in fact lost their lives whose World Championship circuits, others have come very close, and still others, in more recent times, have been saved by luck and technology, which today makes it possible to safeguard the lives of drivers despite traveling at over 300 km/h.

In this article we offer a brief sequence of what have been the most frightening and terrible accidents, including fatal ones, in F1 history.

A few days ago the new Ferrari SF-23, the single-seater that will run in the Formula 1 world championship from the weekend of March 5-7 in Bahrain, was unveiled in Fiorano. The Cavallino Rampante has become an iconic brand in the racing world both for its successes but also for its extremely beautiful and refined models.

Some historic single-seaters from Ferrari are still among the most expensive cars in the world, and a rare commodity for the most avid and wealthy collectors.

In the wake of the Ferrari presentation, we tried to think about what might be some of the most iconic models in history.

On Sunday, 16 April, former Dutch footballer Arjen Robben ran the Rotterdam Marathon, completing it in less than three hours. An excellent result for the former Bayern Munich phenomenon who, even now at 39 years of age, still continues to dedicate himself to the world of sport, even without the classic feint to return with his left hand.

Less sprinting and more endurance, it may be a coincidence, but many former footballers, once they have hung up their boots, devote themselves to the queen of races, the marathon. 

Robben is in fact only the latest in a long list of champions who attempt the feat and test their physiques, trained for years in very different ways.

After Jaylen Brown's contract renewal with the Boston Celtics, what is in fact the richest deal in the history of the American professional basketball league, 'Sky Sports' went looking for the other pharaonic contracts in the NBA.

The list of the five biggest contracts ever signed obviously only includes contemporary players, and in fact there is no mention of the technical value of the player but only of his 'salary'.

Incredibly, neither LeBron James nor Steph Curry are on this list.

The calendar of the first World Championship in Formula 1, that of 1950, contained seven grands prix. Seven circuits, therefore, three of which are incredibly still used (Silverstone, Montecarlo, Monza), one... almost (Spa-Francorchamps), two completely abandoned (Bremgarten, Reims).

Here are some of the tracks on which the Formula 1 has left traces of its history, but which are no longer part, for various reasons, of the calendar.

Let's start with the first two decades.

Browse the gallery of abandoned Formula 1 circuits.

Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic is in the spotlight in the new Netflix documentary "Break Point".

Learn the story and interesting facts about Ajla Tomljanovic, the Croatian-born Australian tennis player who has won the hearts of fans around the world.

She has not yet won a WTA tournament and her best ranking is the current 33rd place and still she is one of the most followed tennis players.

From her origins to her life off the court, here are some fascinating facts about this talented athlete.

How much were the players worth when they retired?

In this photo gallery we have selected 8 players with the highest market value at the time of withdrawal.

The player with the highest market value is Enock Mwepu, who had to retire at the age of 24 on October 10, 2022, following the discovery of an inherited heart disease, ending his career early.

He currently coaches the Under 9 of Brighton.