One of the shared experiences that binds fans from across all sports is the sobering realization they must face when it comes to their age and that of their favorite players.
Often occurring at the same time, new stars of the game may look like mere children while the same demigods who drew you to the sport in the first place fade. Essentially, the experience of bearing witness to superstar athletes becomes a less-creepy version of Matthew McConaughey’s famous line from Dazed and Confused: “I get older, they stay the same age.”
But as the World Cup approaches, two stars who appear ageless for their capacity to thrill and bewilder us have begun to confront their future.