Discover the Weekend League Team Boasting Nearly Two Thousand English Top Division Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
This substitutes for the team Vets during a six-two triumph against their opponents on October 19th (left to right) - one player, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What do you enhance a outstanding veteran team who have secured consecutive titles, featuring a double triumph with thirty wins from thirty-two matches?

Sign a group of former pro players that have played at the elite tier of club and international football as you target more honors.

A Greater Manchester team boasts an non-professional vets team with nine ex- Premier League players in their active lineup.

222 Top Division Scores, 325 Global Caps

The team Veterans Over-35s are located in southern the city and play in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Division.

Their roster this campaign features 9 former top-flight footballers, with a total 1,801 Premier League games.

The high-profile team also boasts over 220 top division scores and over 320 international caps.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who netted 37 scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after joining them for £9m from Bundesliga club Freiburg in January 2012.

He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home match versus reigning title holders their rivals and scored all six goals in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also includes former professionals such as English and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the former Premier League footballers have claimed 15 major honors and transferred for total transfer sums of approximately £123m.

Household Names and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned 6 Republic of Ireland caps, scoring 4 scores

Stephen Ireland started playing for the team in preseason this summer through close mate and present team teammate Blake Norton, and the former Republic of Ireland player then invited additional former professionals, who all compete in a weekly small-sided game, to participate.

Former Senegalese striker Oumar Niasse, who scored 12 goals in 65 Premier League matches for the Toffees and even now goes to their home games, also had his first appearance versus the opposition - who are located in the city and wear an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for Everton from 2016 and 2020

"A mate Stephen Ireland told me 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented the striker.

"Then he informed me we were playing a team from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them sporting Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

"When you still enjoy the game and you know you can still play, anywhere you can kick a ball, what are you going to choose?

"The fans who come and watch are happy and to give a moment if they see us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the squad depth at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at full-back.

"It's a bit different but then, I love running and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he added.

"I warn my defender 'I'm not hanging back' and that I'm just going to keep attacking.

"That movement is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

'Surreal Experience

Along with the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored five on his debut appearance and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a hat-trick in one game up front.

The team are leading of the Premier Tier with three victories from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, thirty-eight, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Latics full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old son who Emile Heskey was.

He has appeared at 2 global tournaments for his country, in addition to playing in over two hundred top-flight matches.

"It was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," remarked Barrow.

"I think I was a bit starstruck playing against Figueroa to be honest.

"Also Heskey got on and he's got over 60 English caps.

"Our side held our own for a good 20 mins but then we had a player sent off and it was tough.

"Our group literally have not ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mother and sibling on the way home.

"They were all really nice, shaking our hands after the match - it was like playing a bunch of normal guys.

"Now we can't wait for the return fixture."

'We'll Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition vets side, who won the Premier Division title the previous campaign, along with his co-manager.

"Our team went 1-0 ahead and had a

Mrs. Sonya Jones
Mrs. Sonya Jones

A former professional gambler turned analyst, specializing in statistical modeling for UK sports markets.