World Football: Ranking the Top 10 Aging Stars Still Doing the Business

Most of the football spotlight is reserved for the superstars in their prime. From the 23-year-old Lionel Messi to the 26-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to the 30-year-old Samuel Eto'o, these are the iconic footballers that the world has come to know and embrace.

But what of the ageless wonder, the grey-haired legend who still straps on the boots and wears the club colors well past his prime?

Plenty of professional footballers extend their careers by playing into their 30s and even their 40s, and many still have maintained the skills and characteristics that won them fame and success in their primes.

They take the field today not as the stars of the club, but as able-bodied veterans of the sport, still capable of a high level of performance, but with less of a level of athleticism than they once had.

Here are the top 10 aging footballers still doing what they know best.

Fabio Cannavaro is commonly regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation.

After making himself a standard in the defensive third in the Serie A with Parma for seven seasons, a €23 million fee moved him to Inter Milan, after which his services were coveted by Juventus and Real Madrid.

Cannavaro captained the 2006 Italian national selection that hoisted the World Cup trophy as his stardom persisted.

Though he transferred to Al-Ahli, a Dubai-based club in the UAE League, and remains relatively obscured from the stages of European prominence, the 37-year-old is still much involved in the beautiful game.

No one can dispute that Thierry Henry was one of the greatest players in England during his tenure with Arsenal from 1999-2007.

But the Frenchman hardly displayed the same skill and form with any consistency at Barcelona.

Now with the New York Red Bulls, Henry plays on a totally different stage, away from the spotlights and high expectations of European football. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old undoubtedly has a fantastic skill set, and his wits on the ball seemingly may never leave him.

Clarence Seedorf has been a sign of consistency for the Rossoneri since he joined the red and black back in 2002.

Together with Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo, the trio have provided Milan with a backbone of quality that has kept the club very competitive in the Serie A and in European competitions.

At 34 years old, Seedorf has shown little signs of slowing down. Apart from the current campaign, the Dutch footballer has appeared in at least 40 fixtures in six of his eight seasons at the San Siro.

Though he has never been much of a goal-scorer, his service out of the midfield has hardly rusted. But with a wave of younger midfielders like Kevin Prince Boateng, Alexander Merkel and Mathieu Flamini, Seedorf's time in Milan could be on the clock.

Okay so the MLS may not be the premier stage to bask in the spotlight, but David Beckham still has the tools to play high level football virtually anywhere. Tottenham's interest in bringing him in on loan during January's transfer season is a testament to his still coveted set of skills.

Although he is well past his prime for international duty, the L.A. Galaxy version of Becks is still capable of those wicked crosses for which he became so famous.

The Englishman's global icon status is not where it once was when he took the pitch in Manchester United colors, but the 35-year-old is easily one of the most followed footballers in the world. 

A keeper will tend to have a long shelf life in comparison to outfield players, but one of the more serviceable ones of late who continues to provide a high level of performance is Fulham's Mark Schwarzer.

The Aussie spent 12 years with Middlesbrough before making the switch to the Cottagers in 2008. Since he's arrived at Craven Cottage, he's put the club in the top half of the Premiership in terms of goals allowed every season.

In 2006-2007, Fulham allowed a league-worst 60 scores. In 2007-2008, the club gave up another 60 goals. In the 2008-2009 campaign, Schwarzer's first with the team, Fulham gave up just 34 goals, good for fourth in the EPL.

Perhaps these stats are a testament to the club's atrocious defending, but to say that Schwarzer has been a valuable asset for Fulham is an incredible understatement.

Though 33 is by no means old to us mere mortal football fans, in the world of professional sports, it signifies that the prime years are over.

But don't tell Udinese's Antonio Di Natale. All that he has done is post back-to-back 20+ goal seasons in the Serie A, and some may say he is only getting deadlier.

In 2009-2010, the 5'7" forward recorded a league-best 29 goals. A year later, he's on pace to break that mark with 25 scores to date with eight fixtures left on the schedule.

Father Time may be against him, but his form on the pitch definitely tell a completely different story.

The other side of Manchester United's dynamic duo is Paul Scholes, a 36-year-old midfielder who, like Ryan Giggs, has taken the pitch for just one club.

Scholes joined the organization in 1994 and has mimicked Giggs' durability and consistency throughout the years, appearing in over 650 matches for the club. 

But with his availability in obvious decline (he hasn't appeared in more than 40 matches in one season in all competitions since 2006-2007), one has to wonder how long he will have the United patch on his chest.

Like Giggs, Scholes has left the door open for another season at Old Trafford. The two midfielders share many characteristics, including their long tenure with the club.

Will they retire together as well?

It is no surprise that 37-year-old Argentine Javier Zanetti has been and is playing like the veteran he is. Composed, complete and a competitor above all else.

Though Inter Milan have struggled, Zanetti remains a constant, but for how long is the ultimate question.

The versatile full back, who can also move into the midfield, has been at the San Siro since 1995, adorning the captain's armband since 1999.

Durability and leadership have kept the Inter captain afloat, and after helping the club to five consecutive Serie A titles (and a possible sixth with the club's current form), Zanetti's name should forever live among the organization's greatest.

But in the mean time, "Il Capitano" still roams the pitch for the Nerazzurri.

If one were to look up the definition for reliable, durable and consistent in the dictionary, he may find a picture of Ryan Giggs.

There is no doubt that Giggs is one of the best footballers ever to suit up for Manchester United, and his 850+ appearances for the club speaks volumes of his commitment to one of the most well-known organizations in the sport.

The former Welsh international has been a mainstay as one of United's premier midfielders. His football IQ and ability to deliver the ball with the most delicate of touches has made him one of the most prized assets in the history of the club.

In February, the 37-year-old signed a one-year contract that will keep him at Old Trafford for another season. If his play was any indication of his age, you wouldn't know it.

One Manchester United player who hasn't quite left a creak in the door for a return next season is Edwin Van der Sar, who has made public his intentions to retire at season's end.

The 40-year-old Dutchman has been a rock in the goal for United since joining the club from Fulham in 2005, and has since kept the team in contention for league titles on an annual basis.

In 2009, Van der Sar set a world record for most minutes played without conceded a goal, having gone 1,311 minutes on clean goalkeeping. 

Though he is set to hang up the boots (and gloves) at the end of the season, Van der Sar is easily the world's best old man still playing the beautiful game.