The stalwarts of Argentine football: Insaurralde, Carranza, Bologna, and Sosa, the forty-somethings who are holding their own in the Professional League.

Ángel Amadeo Labruna , Argentina's all-time leading scorer, was 41 when he played his last match in 1959. Hugo Orlando Gatti , the goalkeeper, was 44 when he played his last match for Boca Juniors in 1988. These were exceptions to the longevity category. However, it's no surprise now to see a player over 40 become one of the stars of a match in Argentine football.

It happened with defender Juan Manuel Insaurralde (41 years old), in Sarmiento's 1-0 victory at the Monumental. It happens every time José Ernesto Sosa (40 years old), at Estudiantes, shows off his intact quality for the enjoyment of his own and foreign fans. There are games in which the goalkeepers look like kids, like Enrique Bologna of Defensa (42) and Jorge Carranza of Aldosivi (44 and a new record for longevity in the First Division). They are the four players in the current Clausura who are over 40 years old , out of a total of 1,064 active players across the 30 squads.

No other player will reach the age of 40 before the end of the season. River Plate's Enzo Pérez , the next player on the list, will turn 40 on February 21st of next year. In the age bracket headed by River Plate's midfielder, that is, those aged 35 to 39, there are 71 players, 7% of the total. On the other hand, there are 245 players over 30, or 23% of the tournament's protagonists.

The previous survey conducted by Clarín in August 2018 found that 25% of the players among the 26 teams scheduled to play in the 2018/19 Superliga were over 30 years old. Compared to previous decades, the average age had doubled. While in the 1998 Apertura, only 9.36% were over 30 (53 of 566 players), at the start of the 2008 Apertura, the figure had risen to 13.2% (82 of 617 players). Seven years later, while the percentage has dropped by two percentage points, there are four more teams, and in some clubs, with four matches remaining, many young players are beginning to make their debuts, which lowers the overall average age.

Deportivo Riestra , leader of zone B, is the team with the most players over 30 years old: 15, but all between 30 and 34 years old. The top scorer Jonathan Herrera is the oldest, with 34; Mateo Ramírez and Nicolás Caro , Cristian Paz and Rodrigo Sayavedra are all 30. The others who are over 10 are Boca (13), Lanús , River , San Martín de San Juan and Vélez (12), Belgrano (11) and Newell's (11).

Since 77% of the players are under 30 , the average age of the tournament is 26. The oldest squads are San Martín de San Juan , at 28 years and 4 months, and Deportivo Riestra , at 28 years and 2 months. The youngest is Godoy Cruz , at 24 years and 1 month. Also under 25 are Talleres de Córdoba (24 years and 7 months) and San Lorenzo (24 years and 9 months).

What's happening in Argentine football is also a global phenomenon . And the two greatest exponents of longevity are the two all-time top scorers: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi . The Portuguese player is 40 years old, plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and has accumulated 948 goals in 1,291 matches. The Rosario native, 38, is showing off his passion for Inter Miami in the United States, and has 886 goals in 1,129 matches. And they just keep playing and scoring. They're timeless .