It’S when the number of candles on their birthday cake begin to pose a fire hazard, that most players begin to think more seriously about life after football.
If Pablo Zabaleta though, harboured any thoughts about winding down and a quieter life when he left Manchester City last summer, to join West Ham on a free transfer, he was under a misapprehension.
For much of almost a decade he was at Manchester City, the popular Argentine, or ‘Zaba’ to his team-mates, was a member of a high quality squad which dominated possession statistics.
That meant that, when most needed, City’s regular right-back could sneak a ‘breather.’
No such luck for the 33-year-old Zabaleta now though, not down in East London where this season, West Ham have been trying desperately to finger-tip their way up the near vertical rock face that is the Premier League table this season.
Last weekend’s 2-0 win over Watford lifted Zabaleta’s West Ham to 12th place in the table, six points behind Burnley in seventh spot but – far more importantly – still only four in front of third-from-bottom Southampton.
Zabaleta has missed just one Premier League game so far this season – through suspension. Minutes on the pitch so far total 2,376, a time only bettered by central defender Angelo Ogbonna with 2,550. In all, the Argentine has played in 28 matches this season, a total equalled by Ogbonna and Cresswell.
“Yes, it is a bit different from Manchester City,” he said. “There, of course, you have strong players who can keep the ball so well and sometimes you can rest a bit during the game.
“This is different but it is what I expected from the first day. We are not Manchester City, we don’t have the same quality as them but it is nice for me to have the experience of a new challenge and prove to myself that I have enough in the tank to play at Premier League level.
"I am trying to work hard to keep myself fit and give the best for the team.
“I was playing as a right wing back against Watford after playing two games in the midfield. I am ready to perform where the manager decides he wants me. “We lost Pedro Obiang with injury and he is probably the only defensive midfielder we had in the squad I have to use my experience sometimes to play in different positions. It is not the first time I have done it.
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“I can do the job, I continue to play every single minute, I am keeping myself fit which is good and I am really happy with how things are going.
“I am 33 now, I am not getting any younger but I have only missed one game this season, for five yellow cards. I am working hard to keep myself fit and give my best for the team.”
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