Recently, the Swiss authority in soccer, the Football Observatory (CIES), conducted an in-depth analysis of the top soccer leagues in 48 countries or regions around the world, collecting and compiling data on the ages of 20,779 professional players.
Analysis reveals that the Chinese Super League shows a clear trend of "aging" in the age structure of players.
Surprisingly, the Chinese Super League teams have finally made their mark globally, leapfrogging to number one in the world.
Looking further at the average age of players, the Chinese Super League tops the list of leagues with an average age of 28.41 years, making it the "oldest" league. It is followed by the Japanese J-League, the Saudi Arabian League and the Greek Super League.
At the club level, the average age of Qingdao Hainiu in the Chinese Super League reached 31.48 years old, topping all the teams surveyed. Chengdu Rongcheng, on the other hand, ranked fifth with an average age of 29.80 years.
Comparing the European leagues, La Liga enters the age list in 10th place, while Serie A, the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are in 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 38th place respectively.
In terms of team lineup stability, Shanghai Port and Shandong Taishan of the Chinese Super League have been eye-catching, with the average playing time of both teams exceeding five seasons. Shanghai Port's average playing time is 5.39 seasons, while Shandong Taishan's is 5.03 seasons. They are followed by two Spanish giants, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
