Discover the Weekend Division Squad With Nearly Two Thousand Top-Flight Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The bench for Wythenshawe Vets in a 6-2 triumph versus their opponents on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you improve a stellar veteran squad that have secured back-to-back titles, featuring a double triumph with thirty wins from 32 matches?

Sign a collection of ex- professionals who have played at the elite level of club and international football as you target further honors.

A Greater Manchester side fields an non-professional vets team with 9 ex- Premier League footballers in their present lineup.

222 Top Division Goals, Three Hundred Twenty-Five Global Caps

The team Veterans Over 35s are located in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets League Premier Tier.

The squad list this campaign features 9 ex- top-flight players, with a collective 1,801 top-flight games.

The high-profile team also boasts 222 top division goals and 325 global caps.

They feature Papiss Cisse, who scored 37 goals in 117 games for his former club after signing for them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in 2012.

He made his first appearance for the team in their most recent home-field match against defending champions their rivals and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 win - including a half-hour first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also includes ex- pros such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan full-back Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

In total, the ex- top-flight footballers have secured fifteen major trophies and transferred for total transfer fees of around ÂŁ123m.

Famous Figures and International Stars

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Republic of Ireland caps, scoring 4 goals

Stephen Ireland started playing for the side during preseason this summer through close mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Irish player then invited other former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to participate.

Ex- Senegal striker Oumar Niasse, who scored twelve scores in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and even now attends their home games, also made his debut against Collegiate OB - who are located in Liverpool and wear an Blue training kit as their strip.

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

"A mate Stephen Ireland said 'join and have a game, it's good fun'," commented the striker.

"Then he informed me we were facing a side from the city and the shock I had when I noticed them sporting Blue kits - I say this is wrong for me!

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

"Those spectators who turn up and watch are happy and to make a moment if they watch us playing there and to ask us questions - it's really about the joy of us getting a place we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at Wythenshawe, he had his first game at defender.

"It's a little unusual but then, I enjoy running and just go forward - I'm not defending that much," he said.

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

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

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is turning out for Wythenshawe

Unreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's 6 scores on debut, Ireland has netted 8 in 3 appearances for Wythenshawe, while Boyd scored 5 on his first match and Joleon Lescott, a centre-half by position, scored a triple in one match up front.

The team are top of the Top Tier with 3 wins from three and a GD of +19.

Paul Barrow, 38, who plays on the wing for Collegiate OB, came up against ex- Wigan full-back Figueroa on the weekend - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has appeared at two global tournaments for Honduras, in addition to playing in more than 200 top-flight matches.

"It was spreading like a rumor they had all these former top-flight players," remarked Barrow.

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

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

"We competed well for a good twenty minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was tough.

"Our group literally haven't ceased chatting about it - I was calling my mum and sibling on the way home.

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

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Take the Title'

The manager manages the opposition veterans side, who won the Premier Division title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"We went 1-0 ahead and had a

Lisa Johnston
Lisa Johnston

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