Kalén Anton, Rey Ezequiel, de Rellán-Guerra Alejandro Sal, Lago-Peñas Carlos
Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain.
Front Psychol. 2019 Jan 28;10:76. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00076. eCollection 2019.
The aims of the current study were to analyze the evolution of players' age in the UEFA Champions League since the start of its modern-day format in 1992-1993 up until 2017-2018 and to determine how the players' age relates to their market value. The sample consisted of all players participating in the UEFA Champions League from the 1992-1993 to 2017-2018 seasons ( = 16062). The following variables were used in this study: players' age, number of seasons in the club, number of Champions Leagues won, team performance, and market value of the player in the season. Data were examined using a one-way ANOVA and a linear regression. The main finding of the current study is that an aging trend has occurred in the last three decades in the Champions League. A significant increase in average players' age (>1.6 years) was observed, rising from an age of 24.9 to 26.5 years. Goalkeepers and Center Backs tend to peak later than attackers, and their peak performance can last until an age of about 31 years. Finally, an inverted-U curve defines the association between market value and age, with peak value appearing in the 26-30 age range. These results provide useful information regarding at which age soccer players are likely to perform at the highest level, as well as the age they are likely to have the highest market value.
本研究的目的是分析自1992 - 1993年欧洲足球冠军联赛采用现代赛制至2017 - 2018赛季期间球员年龄的演变情况，并确定球员年龄与其市场价值之间的关系。样本包括1992 - 1993赛季至2017 - 2018赛季参加欧洲足球冠军联赛的所有球员（(n = 16062)）。本研究使用了以下变量：球员年龄、在俱乐部的赛季数、赢得的欧冠冠军次数、球队表现以及该赛季球员的市场价值。数据采用单因素方差分析和线性回归进行检验。本研究的主要发现是，在过去三十年里欧冠联赛出现了老龄化趋势。观察到球员平均年龄显著增加（超过1.6岁），从24.9岁升至26.5岁。守门员和中后卫达到巅峰的时间往往比前锋晚，他们的最佳表现可以持续到大约31岁。最后，一条倒U形曲线定义了市场价值与年龄之间的关联，峰值出现在26 - 30岁年龄范围内。这些结果提供了有关足球运动员可能在哪个年龄段表现出最高水平以及可能拥有最高市场价值的有用信息。
