Introduce the Weekend League Team Boasting Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Veterans in a six-two victory versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (left to right) - one player, another, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you improve a excellent veteran side who have secured back-to-back championships, including a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 matches?

Sign a raft of ex- professionals that have performed at the top tier of club and international football as you pursue further honors.

A Greater Manchester side has an amateur veterans team with nine former Premier League players in their present squad.

222 Premier League Scores, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over 35s are situated in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire Veterans Division Premier Division.

The lineup this season features nine ex- top-flight footballers, with a combined over 1,800 Premier League games.

This elite team also includes over 220 Premier League goals and 325 international appearances.

The squad feature Papiss Cisse, who netted thirty-seven goals in 117 games for his former club after moving to them for £9m from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his debut for Wythenshawe in their last home match against reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and scored every one of the six scores in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

The squad for this season also features former professionals such as English and Anfield striker Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the former Premier League footballers have claimed 15 major honors and transferred for total transfer sums of around £123 million.

Famous Names and International Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland earned 6 Irish appearances, scoring 4 goals

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the team during pre-season this season through good mate and present Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked additional former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side game, to participate.

Ex- Senegalese forward Niasse, who scored twelve goals in sixty-five top-flight matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
Oumar Niasse played for Everton from 2016 and 2020

"My friend Stephen said 'join and play, it's enjoyable'," said Niasse.

"Then he told me we were facing a side from the city and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Everton kits - I thought this is strange for me!

"If you still love football and you know you can still do it, anywhere you can play, what are you going to choose?

"The people who come and see are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with structure of course."

So great is the squad depth at the club, Niasse made his debut at full-back.

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

"I warn my defender 'I'm not staying' and that I'm just going to keep running.

"The movement is what I'm looking for. It's good fun."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is turning out for the team

Dreamlike' Feeling

In addition to Cisse's 6 scores on debut, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in three appearances for Wythenshawe, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut appearance and Lescott, a defender by position, notched a triple in one match as a striker.

Wythenshawe are leading of the Premier Tier with three victories from three and a goal difference of +19.

One opponent, 38, who features on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

He has played at two World Cups for Honduras, in as well as playing in over 200 Premier League games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had these ex-Premier League players," remarked Barrow.

"I think I was a little starstruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

"Even Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has over 60 England caps.

"We held our own for a good twenty minutes but then we had a man sent off and it was tough.

"We literally have not ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mother and brother on the way home.

"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the game - it was like playing a group of normal fellas.

"Now we can't wait for the second match."

'We'll Still Win the League'

Andy Kirby manages the Collegiate vets team, who won the Premier Tier championship the previous campaign, together with his co-manager.

"We scored one-nil up and had a

Amanda Flores
Amanda Flores

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience in analyzing emerging technologies and their impact on businesses.