What's the earliest season you can get to with a chain of 5 players

Gio said:
Miura - 1985 - 2024
Emerson Leao - 1967 - 1988
Djalma Santos - 1948 - 1970
Noronha 1935 - 1955

Miura played with Emerson Leao at Palmeiras in 1986, Djalma overlapped with Leao at Palmeiras in 1968 (according to worldfootball.net), Djalma played with Noronha for Portuguesa in early 1950s, Noronha started his career in 1935 at Gremio.

There are probably better links out there from Djalma down.
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Was trying to find confirmation of Miura playing with Emerson Leao but couldn't find any. Mind you, the only site I could find with 1980s Palmeiras lineups had different stats from Wiki. It was claiming Miura only played 3 times for Palmeiras, compared to Wikipedia's 25.

Was looking through this:

https://www.playmakerstats.com/team/palmeiras?epoca_id=115

If digging into the games Emerson Leao played that season there were none with Miura (had to register to see them). It had Emerson Leao playing 5 games, all in the Campeonato Paulista.
 
If you start with Romario (currently on professional terms in Brazil) then you can immediately go back to 1986 in your first step.

I'd do it myself, but can't be bothered.
 
United players only

1. Jonny Evans:
- Years: 2006-2015, 2023-present

2. Ryan Giggs:
- Years: 1990-2014

3. Bryan Robson:
- Years: 1981-1994

4. Arthur Albiston:
- Years: 1974-1988

5. Brian Greenhoff:
- Years: 1968-1979

6. Bill Foulkes:
- Years: 1952-1970

7. Johnny Carey:
- Years: 1936-1953

8. Tommy Jones:
- Years: 1930-1936

9. Joe Spence:
- Years: 1919-1933

10. Billy Meredith:
- Years: 1906-1921

11. John Picken:
- Years: 1902-1907
 
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1935 I think.

Jamie Cureton (still a player manager apparently). Played with Gary Megson at Norwich in 1994. Gary Megson played with Brian Kidd at Everton in 1979. Brian Kidd played with Bill Foulkes at Utd in 1967, who played with Jack Rowley at Utd from 1952 to 1954. Jack Rowley started his career in 1935.
 
Club Libertad in Paraguay currently have 4 over 40 players: Roque Santa Cruz (42) + Oscar Cardozo, Cristian Riveros, Martin Silva (all 41).

They're the dominant team in the country too. Won the double last year, top of the league currently. Might be something there.

Lee Trundle still playing?
 
WeePat said:
This guy was a player at Gremio same time as Noronha in 1935 (no idea if they actually played together in a match) and he started his career in 1920

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiz_Luz

I noticed he played for Penaral too, which was the random Uruguayan squad from 1960 I was scrolling through earlier.
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He was 10 in 1920 (based on wiki) so either very much a prodigy or that includes his time as a youth player.

This guy might work though who was at Gremio from 1920 to 1935:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurico_Lara

Sad tale though as it appears he died a couple of months after his last match.
 
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Chipper said:
Club Libertad in Paraguay currently have 4 over 40 players: Roque Santa Cruz (42) + Oscar Cardozo, Cristian Riveros, Martin Silva (all 41).

They're the dominant team in the country too. Won the double last year, top of the league currently. Might be something there.

Lee Trundle still playing?
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Roque Santa Cruz and Lothar Matthaus would take you back to the late 70s anyway.
 
Kazuyoshi Miura is still playing now, at the ripe old age of 57 and he made his debut in 86 for Santos in Brazil. If we're getting all the way back there with one player we must be able to get into the 1800s :lol:

Kazuyoshi Miura - Wikipedia
 
whitbyviking said:
Kazuyoshi Miura is still playing now, at the ripe old age of 57 and he made his debut in 86 for Santos in Brazil. If we're getting all the way back there with one player we must be able to get into the 1800s :lol:

Kazuyoshi Miura - Wikipedia
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In 1982, Miura left the Shizuoka Gakuen High School after less than a year, and travelled alone to Brazil at the age of fifteen to become a professional footballer there
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That's an insane story!
 
whitbyviking said:
Kazuyoshi Miura is still playing now, at the ripe old age of 57 and he made his debut in 86 for Santos in Brazil. If we're getting all the way back there with one player we must be able to get into the 1800s :lol:

Kazuyoshi Miura - Wikipedia
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Miura 1986 - 2024 Santos
Ze Sergio 1975 - 1984 Sao Paolo (Santos 84 - 86)
Pedro Rocha 1962 - 1970 Penarol (Sao Paolo 71 - 77)
William Martinez 1950 - 1950 Rampla Juniors (Penarol 50-62)
Manuel Sanguinetti 1934 - 1938 River Plate
 
Doracle said:
He was 10 in 1920 (based on wiki) so either very much a prodigy or that includes his time as a youth player.

This guy might work though who was at Gremio from 1920 to 1935:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurico_Lara

Sad tale though as it appears he died a couple of months after his last match.
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Didn't even notice the DOB there :lol:

Your guy works though, so we're as far as 1920 using @Gio's history path.
 
Chipper said:
Club Libertad in Paraguay currently have 4 over 40 players: Roque Santa Cruz (42) + Oscar Cardozo, Cristian Riveros, Martin Silva (all 41).

They're the dominant team in the country too. Won the double last year, top of the league currently. Might be something there.

Lee Trundle still playing?
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Yes. Santa Cruz and Matthaus take you back to the 70s.
 
Real Madrid's connection


1.In Porto, Eder Militao(2018-2019) played with the veteran Iker Casillas(2015-2020)during the 2018-2019 season at Porto.
2. Iker Casillas(1999-2015) played with the veteran(35 years old) Manolo Sanchis(1983-2001) during the 1999-2000/2000-2001 season at Real Madrid.
3. Manolo Sanchis(1983-2001) played with the veteran Miguel Angel(1967-1986) during the 1983-1984/1984-1985 season at Real Madrid
4. Miguel Angel(1967-1986) played with the veteran Paco Gento(1953-1971) during the 1969-1970/1970-1971 season at Real Madrid.
5. Paco Gento(1953-1971) played with the veteran Navarro(1949-1957) during the 1953-1957 season at Real Madrid. Navarro debuted in 1939 with CF Gavà .
 
So it’s the footballing version of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game.
 
With Atletico Madrid you can make a connection all the way to 1967 with just 5 players, by only using players playing for the club.

Koke 2008-
Antonio Lopez 1999-2012
Juanma Lopez 1988-2001
Juan Carlos Arteche 1978-1989
Jose Pacheco 1967-1979
 
Oranges038 said:
Roque Santa Cruz and Lothar Matthaus would take you back to the late 70s anyway.
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Matthaus played with Winnie Schaffer (Borussia Monchengladbach legend)
In 1968. Schaffer played with certain Manfred Orzessek who began his career in 1953. with Schalke
He, on the other side, played with another Schalke legend Hermann Eppenhoff who played his first professional game in 1938.
If we include Fritz Szepan (played for Germany in two World Cups in the '30s) who played with Eppenhof that leads us way back to 1925.

Six players - a 100-year span
 
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For Chelsea, I think the earliest I can get to with 5 players is 1960.

Peter Bonneti debut 1960.
Bonetti played with Bumstead in 1980
Bumstead played with Wise in 1990
Wise played with Terry in 1999
Terry played with Lukaku in 2011.
 
Danny Ings played with Lee Bradbury at Bournemouth between 09 and 11.

Bradbury played with Mark Chamberlain at Exeter back in 95/96.

Chamberlain played with William Bentley at Port Vale between 1978 and 1980.

Bentley played with Stanley Matthews at Stoke in 1964/1965.

Matthews made his debut in 1932.
 
duffer said:
For Chelsea, I think the earliest I can get to with 5 players is 1960.

Peter Bonneti debut 1960.
Bonetti played with Bumstead in 1980
Bumstead played with Wise in 1990
Wise played with Terry in 1999
Terry played with Lukaku in 2011.
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You're only allowed to use players who played at the club continously in that period. Lukaku left Chelsea on loan in 2012, was transferred out in 2014 and only came back to play in 2021, and was loaned out again. He doesn't count.
 
Let's try another.

James Milner played with Alan Shearer at Newcastle.

Who played with John Burridge at Southampton.

Burridge played with Gordon Milne at Blackpool.

Milne played with Billy Liddel at Liverpool who made his debut in 1939.
 
Johnny Evan’s who played with Ryan Giggs who played with Bryan Robson who played with sammy mcilroy who played with Bobby Charlton who played with Jackie blanchflower who played with Johnny Carey
 
duffer said:
Stanley Matthews made his debut in 1932.

Matthews played with John Ritchie (thank you @harms )

John Ritchie played with Peter Shilton.

Peter Shilton played with Jason McAteer.

Jason McAteer played with Aiden McGeady.

Aiden McGeady currently plays for Ayr United.
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Jason :lol:
 
Interesting thing about exercises like this is how silly it makes some of the arguments around comparing players look. There is this push that the game has massively improved over even 15-20 years ago and that players/teams from that period in the past couldn't compete now despite tons of players playing across generations at the same level.
 
Bobski said:
There is this push that the game has massively improved over even 15-20 years ago and that players/teams from that period in the past couldn't compete now despite tons of players playing across generations at the same level.
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Those older players from previous generations were able to prolong their careers due to benefits of modern sport science and training regime and would have been even better if they had access to that since their early age.

I think the older players were more talented as individual players but modern players are better drilled as athletes and system players.

This is why I believe football reached its peak in the 2000s and 2010s where both generations sort of collided and you had old school technical genius type of players having their careers prolonged and enhanced, while at the same time a newer generation of athletes was already coming through, creating the best of both worlds so to speak. The Real Madrid team of the 2010s was basically the perfect mix of technique and athlete. Messi and Ronaldo were born exactly at the right time, coming through youth ranks at a time when individual brilliance was still allowed and encouraged, and flourishing as pros during a time when they also had access to best medical treatment and training regime, and they were put into well drilled super-teams. Meanwhile players like Van Basten and Brazilian Ronaldo were born just too early to get the benefits of that, and had their careers devasted by injuries which might have been taken care of today.

Since around 2020 football clearly regressed though, as it's turning into a sport of bland robotic athletes doing what they've been told to do. The level of talent and excitement is now clearly nowhere near the level it was in the previous decade, as proved by the historically weakest Champions League tournament last year.
 
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