Discover the Weekend League Team Featuring Over 1,800 Top-Flight Matches

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Veterans during a six-two win versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (from left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, Marcel Edwards, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How do you enhance a outstanding veteran side who have won consecutive titles, featuring a league-cup double boasting thirty victories from 32 matches?

Recruit a raft of ex- pro players who have competed at the top tier of club and international soccer as you target additional trophies.

A Manchester club fields an amateur vets team with 9 ex- top-flight players in their active lineup.

222 Top Division Scores, 325 International Caps

Wythenshawe Veterans Over 35s are situated in southern Manchester and play in the Cheshire Vets Division Premier Division.

Their squad list this campaign boasts 9 former Premier League players, with a collective over 1,800 elite games.

The star-studded squad also includes 222 Premier League goals and over 320 international appearances.

They include one forward, who scored 37 scores in over 100 appearances for his former club after moving to them for nine million pounds from German league side SC Freiburg in January 2012.

Cisse had his debut for Wythenshawe in their most recent home match versus defending title holders their rivals and scored every one of the six scores in a six-two win - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's roster for this season also features former professionals such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull City and Burnley FC midfielder George Boyd, Toffees forward Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, Manchester City duo Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and Premier League title winners Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Collectively, the ex- top-flight footballers have claimed 15 major trophies and transferred for combined transfer sums of approximately £123 million.

Famous Names and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
He won six Irish appearances, netting four scores

Ireland began turning out for the side in pre-season this season through good mate and current team player Blake Norton, and the ex- Republic of Ireland player then asked other former professionals, who all play in a midweek nine-a-side match, to join in.

Former Senegalese striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in 65 Premier League games for the Toffees and still attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his first appearance versus Collegiate OB - who are based in Liverpool and wear an Blue training kit as their uniform.

Oumar Niasse playing for Everton
He featured for the club from 2016 and 2020

"My mate Stephen told me 'come and have a game, it's a laugh'," commented Niasse.

"After that he told me we were facing a team from Liverpool and the shock I had when I noticed them wearing Everton kits - I say this is strange for me!

"If you still enjoy football and you know you can still play, wherever you can kick a ball, what are you going to do?

"Those fans who come and see are pleased and to make a day if they watch us competing there and to ask us queries - it's really about the joy of us having somewhere we can enjoy football, with structure of course."

Such is the strength in depth at the club, Niasse had his debut at defender.

"It's a little different but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move inside - I'm not defending that much," he added.

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

"The running is what I'm after. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Ex- Wigan Athletic full-back Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to Cisse's six goals on his first game, Stephen Ireland has netted 8 in 3 games for the side, while George Boyd scored 5 on his debut match and Lescott, a centre-half by trade, scored a triple in one match as a striker.

The team are top of the Premier Tier with three victories from three and a GD of +19.

One opponent, thirty-eight, who features on the flank for Collegiate OB, came up against former Wigan full-back Figueroa on Sunday - and had to explain his nine-year-old son who Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two global tournaments for his country, in addition to featuring in more than two hundred Premier League games.

"The news was going round like wildfire they had these former top-flight stars," remarked the player.

"I think I was a bit awestruck facing him to be honest.

"Also Emile [Heskey] came on and he's has 60-odd England appearances.

"Our side held our own for a solid 20 minutes but then we had a player dismissed and it was hard.

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

"The opponents were all friendly, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a group of normal guys.

"Now we are eager for the second fixture."

'We'll Still Win the League'

The manager coaches the Collegiate vets team, who won the Top Tier championship last season, together with his co-manager.

"We scored 1-0 ahead and had a

Omar Moore
Omar Moore

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital transformations and emerging technologies across Europe.