Goalkeepers peak between 31-35

I aways see the tip that GK's peak between 31-36 but their strength, pace and agility plummits between these ages. A 21 year old goalkeeper seems to always be the better choice compared to a 35 year old. I can see that agility and pace may drop abit but not strength so rapidly. Its a simiilar thing for outfield players. I'm 36 and I feel that my strength has not dropped so much since I was 30. van der Sar is 39, would anyone consider him lacking in strength compared to when he was 30? Peter Shilton was 40 during 90 world cup. Was his strength considered that of a 16 year old regen player?

What about Vinnie Jones he was 33 when he left Wimbledon, was it cause he was only 8 strength, so not hard enough for a midfield enforcer?

If you use boxing as an example Lennox Lewis became undisputed heavyweight champion at 34, but he seemed to not have lost all his strength. Same with Wladimir Klitschko who holds 3 belts and is 34.

They don't all plummet, or at the same rate. It depends on the Natural Fitness attribute.

You are definitely right. They need to change the aging process.

I think it should only massively affect, acceleration, work rate, stamina and agility. Old players can maintain the same level of technique easily. And the same applies for most mental attributes. Pace can also stay up although they will take longer getting to it.

If you had say Maldini or Zanetti on CM 01/02 it would impossible for them to last as long as they did. Drogba would be nowhere near as good as he still is. Someone like Cannavaro wouldnt last as he did IRL. Or Nesta. He is still literally one of the very best defenders in Serie A. But if you played an older FM, he'd only be good for a backup at best by now.

On my FM11, Xavi is 33, and totally useless. His stats were always a bit wrong from the start, but Xavi will almost certainly still be amazing at 33.

Goalkeepers only see a loss in their physical attributes, but nowhere near as drastically as you're saying when it comes to the core relevant attributes for the 'keeper.

The reason 'keepers peak in their 30's is because their mental attributes have reached their pinnacle, which are by far and away the best overall stats you need for a 'keeper.

To be honest, if the Natural Fitness stat is high, you'll still see players in peak shape at age 32/33. Most players do drop off dramatically in physical performance at the latter stages of their career and that is reflected in FM. It's all about comparisons - the stats for physicality remain constant whether it's a 20 year old or a 40 year old, so for the sake of realism the stats need to drop away as the player ages past their prime.

Well their mental attributes may peak at that time but I'm seeing quite a lot of regen keepers with amazing mental attributes even in their teens.

Well their mental attributes may peak at that time but I'm seeing quite a lot of regen keepers with amazing mental attributes even in their teens.

That's the regen system, which is a completely different issue that definitely needs a tweak or two. Theoretically, mental stats should develop over time, not be gifted to 16 year olds across the board, and this isn't reflected in-game right now.

That's the regen system, which is a completely different issue that definitely needs a tweak or two. Theoretically, mental stats should develop over time, not be gifted to 16 year olds across the board, and this isn't reflected in-game right now.

I agree. Anyways, I just coaxed a 38 year old Stekelenburg out of international retirement because the Dutch regen keepers are worthless. I even gave the poor guy a runout in the club world championship! He's still quite good and makes a good captain for my Holland squad.

Take a look at Casillas' playing stats from my FM10 save. He played till was 40 for Real Madrid. I can imagine this happening IRL too. It's insane to have 801 league games for Real Madrid!