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Why World Cup Stars Are Still Going Strong at 39 and 41

How 4 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.

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First reported by Srugim · Jun 24, 2026

What happened

Lionel Messi scored late against Austria at age 39, and the article says he is part of a broader 2026 World Cup trend: aging legends and young stars are thriving. Teams now use sports science and star-centered systems to keep players like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Vinicius Junior and Lamine Yamal at peak level.

01Messi scored a late winner against Austria at age 39 in exhausting heat.
02Ronaldo, Mbappe, Haaland, Kane, Vinicius and Yamal are all excelling.
03Teams now build systems around stars instead of demanding they do everything.
04France, Portugal, England, Norway, Brazil and Spain are each managing their stars differently.
05Haaland and Mbappe meet Friday at 22:00 in a key group match.

Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.

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