Introduce this Sunday League Team Boasting 1,800 English Top Division Appearances

Wythenshawe Vets bench during a match
The substitutes for Wythenshawe Vets in a 6-2 triumph versus Collegiate Old Boys on 19 October (left to right) - one player, Papiss Cisse, a teammate, Blake Norton, Maynor Figueroa, Dean Warburton and Emile Heskey

How can you improve a stellar experienced team that have secured back-to-back championships, including a double triumph with 30 victories from thirty-two matches?

Recruit a raft of ex- pro players that have competed at the highest level of club football and international soccer as you aim for additional honors.

A Manchester team fields an amateur vets squad with 9 former Premier League footballers in their current lineup.

Two Hundred Twenty-Two Premier League Goals, 325 International Caps

Wythenshawe Vets Over-35s are based in southern the city and play in the Cheshire-based Veterans League Premier Tier.

Their lineup this season features nine ex- Premier League footballers, with a total nearly 1,800 Premier League matches.

This elite team also boasts over 220 Premier League goals and 325 global caps.

They feature one forward, who netted thirty-seven scores in 117 appearances for his former club after joining them for nine million pounds from German league club Freiburg in 2012.

He made his debut for the team in their most recent home-field game against reigning title holders Collegiate Old Boys and netted every one of the six scores in a 6-2 victory - featuring a 32-minute first-half hat-trick.

Wythenshawe's team for this season also features former professionals such as English and Liverpool forward Emile Heskey, Hull and Burnley midfielder George Boyd, Toffees striker Oumar Niasse, Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa, City pair Stephen Ireland and Nedum Onuoha and top-flight championship victors Joleon Lescott and Danny Drinkwater.

Together, the ex- Premier League players have claimed 15 big trophies and moved for combined transfer fees of around £123 million.

Well-Known Figures and Global Players

Stephen Ireland in action
Stephen Ireland won 6 Republic of Ireland caps, netting 4 goals

Stephen Ireland began turning out for the team during preseason this season through good mate and current Wythenshawe player Blake Norton, and the former Irish midfielder then asked other former professionals, who all compete in a weekly nine-a-side game, to join in.

Ex- Senegal striker Niasse, who netted 12 goals in sixty-five Premier League matches for Everton and even now attends their matches at Goodison Park, also made his debut against the opposition - who are based in Liverpool and use an Blue warm-up gear as their uniform.

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

"A mate Stephen Ireland told me 'join and play, it's a laugh'," said Niasse.

"After that he told me we were playing a side from Liverpool and the surprise I had when I saw them wearing Everton shirts - I thought this is strange for me!

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

"The fans who come and see are happy and to give a moment if they watch us playing there and to pose us queries - it's really about the joy of us getting somewhere we can play, with organisation of course."

Such is the squad depth at the club, he made his debut at defender.

"It's a little different but then, I enjoy sprinting and just move forward - I'm not staying back that much," he said.

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

"That running is what I'm looking for. It's enjoyable."

Maynor Figueroa in action
Former Wigan Athletic defender Maynor Figueroa is playing for Wythenshawe

'Surreal Feeling

In addition to the forward's six scores on his first game, Ireland has netted eight in 3 games for Wythenshawe, while Boyd hit five on his first appearance and Joleon Lescott, a defender by position, notched a hat-trick in one game up front.

Wythenshawe are top of the Top Division with 3 victories from 3 and a GD of plus nineteen.

Paul Barrow, 38, who features on the wing for the opposition, came up against former Latics defender Maynor Figueroa on the weekend - and had to tell his young boy who Emile Heskey was.

Figueroa has played at two World Cups for Honduras, in as well as featuring in over two hundred top-flight matches.

"It was going round like a rumor they had these former top-flight stars," said Barrow.

"I felt I was a little starstruck facing Figueroa to be honest.

"Also Heskey came on and he's got over 60 English appearances.

"Our side held our own for a solid twenty mins but then we had a player sent off and it was hard.

"Our group literally haven't stopped talking about it - I was phoning my mum and sibling on the way home.

"The opponents were all really nice, shaking our hands after the game - it was like facing a bunch of regular guys.

"Now we can't wait for the second match."

'We'll Still Take the Title'

Andy Kirby coaches the opposition vets team, who secured the Premier Tier title the previous campaign, together with Paul Maguire.

"Our team went 1-0 ahead and had a

Kristen Dominguez
Kristen Dominguez

A tech journalist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience covering digital trends and innovations.