“YOU CAN’T WIN anything with kids.”
Manchester United may have made Alan Hansen eat his words in the 1996 but we could do with the famous quote proving correct this month.
Goal.com have compiled a list of the 16 squads competing at Euro 2012 in accordance to their average ages and, guess what, it turns out Ireland are the oldest.
At 36, goalkeeper Shay Given is our “most experienced” player, while Sunderland winger James McClean is the youngest at 23.
Joachim Loew’s youthful German side are at the other end of the table with an average age of 24.52 years, ahead of co-hosts Poland and Roy Hodgson’s new England outfit.
Dutch full-back Jetro Willems of PSV Eindhoven doesn’t turn 18 until next March meaning he is the youngest player at the tournament. Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias, at 38, is the eldest.
Check out the full list below:
| Country | Youngest player |
Oldest player |
Average age |
| Germany | M. Gotze (20) | M. Klose (33) | 24.52 |
| Poland | R. Wolski (19) | M. Wasilewski (31) | 25.13 |
| England | Ox-Chamberlain (18) | R. Green (32) | 26.04 |
| Denmark | J. Okore (19) | D. Rommedahl (33) | 26.57 |
| France | Y. M’Vila (21) | A. Reveillere (32) | 26.65 |
| Spain | J. Alba (23) | Xavi (32) | 26.78 |
| Croatia | D. Vida(23) | J. Simunic (34) | 27.09 |
| Portugal | N. Oliveira (20) | R. Costa (31) | 27.08 |
| Holland | J. Willems (18) | M. van Bommel (35) | 27.13 |
| Greece | K. Fortounis (19) | K. Chalkias (38) | 27.17 |
| Czech Republic | V. Darida (21) | J. Drobny (32) | 27.26 |
| Ukraine | M. Koval (19) | O. Horyainov (36) | 27.30 |
| Italy | F. Borini (21) | M. De Sanctis (35) | 27.91 |
| Sweden | M. Olsson (24) | A. Svensson (35) | 28.30 |
| Russia | A. Dzagoev (21) | R. Sharonov (35) | 28.34 |
| Ireland | J. McClean (23) | S. Given (36) | 28.35 |
Ireland squad & ages:
Goalkeepers: Shay Given (36), Keiren Westwood (27), David Forde (32).Defenders: Stephen Kelly (28), Richard Dunne, (32), Sean St Ledger (27), John O’Shea (31), Stephen Ward (26), Darren O’Dea (25), Paul McShane (26).
Midfielders: Glenn Whelan (28), Aiden McGeady (26), Keith Andrews (31), Damien Duff (33), Darron Gibson (24), Stephen Hunt (30), Paul Green (29), James McClean (23).
Forwards: Robbie Keane (31), Kevin Doyle (28), Shane Long (25), Jon Walters (28), Simon Cox (25).
