Introduce the Weekend League Squad With Nearly Two Thousand Premier League Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for the team Veterans during a 6-2 victory versus their opponents on 19 October (from left to right) - Oumar Niasse, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

What can you improve a stellar experienced squad who have claimed consecutive championships, including a league-cup double boasting thirty wins from 32 matches?

Recruit a collection of former professionals that have performed at the highest level of club and global soccer as you aim for further honors.

One Greater Manchester side fields an non-professional vets team with nine former top-flight players in their present squad.

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

Wythenshawe Vets Over 35s are located in southern the city and compete in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their squad list this season boasts nine former top-flight footballers, with a combined 1,801 elite matches.

The elite roster also boasts 222 top division goals and over 320 global caps.

The squad include Papiss Cisse, who scored thirty-seven scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after joining them for £9m from German league club SC Freiburg in 2012.

Cisse had his first appearance for the team in their most recent home-field game against reigning title holders their rivals and netted every one of the six scores in a six-two victory - featuring a half-hour first-half triple.

The roster for this campaign also features former professionals such as England and Anfield forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Everton forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured 15 major trophies and moved for total transfer fees of about £123 million.

Famous Figures and International Players

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

Stephen Ireland started turning out for the side during pre-season this season through good mate and present team player Blake Norton, and the former Irish player then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Former Senegal forward Niasse, who scored twelve goals in 65 top-flight matches for Everton and still goes to their home games, also had his debut versus Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and use an Everton warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"My mate Stephen said 'come and have a game, it's enjoyable'," commented Niasse.

"After that he informed me we were facing a side from Liverpool and the shock I had when I saw them sporting Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

"If you still enjoy the game and you feel you can still play, wherever you can play, what are you going to choose?

"The fans who turn up and see are happy and to give someone's moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, Niasse made his debut at defender.

"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 continue attacking.

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for the team

Unreal Feeling

In addition to the forward's 6 scores on his first game, Stephen Ireland has scored 8 in 3 appearances for the side, while Boyd hit five on his first match and Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one game as a striker.

The team are top of the Premier Division with 3 victories from three and a GD of +19.

One opponent, 38, who features on the flank for the opposition, faced former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his nine-year-old boy who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at 2 global tournaments for Honduras, in as well as featuring in more than 200 top-flight games.

"The news was spreading like a rumor they had all these former top-flight stars," remarked the player.

"I think I was a little awestruck playing against him to be honest.

"Even Heskey got on and he's got over 60 England appearances.

"Our side competed well for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

"We really haven't ceased talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the journey home.

"The opponents were all dead sound, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a group of regular guys.

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

'We'll Still Win the Title'

Andy Kirby manages the opposition veterans team, who secured the Top Tier title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team scored one-nil up and had a

Patricia Nguyen
Patricia Nguyen

Cybersecurity expert with 10 years in digital asset protection and blockchain technology.