We’ve all heard of the term wonderkids, young ballers like Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham who show signs of being the best from a young age and often perform at the top level in their early years. But what you haven’t heard of is the term “Wonderunc.”
So who is a wonderunc? A wonderunc is a sportsperson who finds their prime in their late 20s or early 30s.
Let’s have a look at some of the wonderunc’s that have graced our footballing generation:
1. Josip Ilicic
The 36-year-old Slovenian, who now plays for NK Maribor in the Slovenian First Division, has gone through his struggles and come out stronger late in his career. Ilicic blossomed in 2017 after his move to Atlanta. His standout season came in 2019/20 when he scored 21 goals in all competitions, including a historic four-goal performance against Valencia in the UEFA Champions League.
Iličić’s rise wasn’t without challenges. In 2020, during the peak of his career, he took a leave of absence from football due to mental health struggles. Ilicic continues to ball at 36, getting 19 goal contributions in 31 games for Maribor last season.
2. Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy’s meteoric rise from non-league football to Premier League stardom is one of football’s most inspiring stories. At the age of 29, after bouncing around in the lower leagues, Vardy was the driving force behind Leicester City’s miraculous Premier League. His 24 goals included a record-breaking streak of scoring in 11 consecutive league matches
What makes Vardy a quintessential wonderunc isn’t just his late rise but his consistent goalscoring even in his 30’s. His unorthodox approach and unabashed love for Red Bull makes him just seem like a normal bloke who loves a good kick about.
3. Thiago Silva
The first defender on this list, Brazilian centre back Thiago Silva, is currently playing for Fluminese after spending 4 years at Chelsea. At the age of 36, under Thomas Tuchel, the experienced head of Silva guided Chelsea to a Champions League victory in the 20/21 season. He also won the Super Cup in the following season with Chelsea.
At the age of 35, Silva was also racking up trophies, winning his final Ligue 1 trophy in the 19/20 season. With over 155 appearances after the age of 36, and still going strong at 40, Thiago Silva is without a doubt a wonderunc.
4. Fabio Quagliarella
Italian striker and Sampdoria legend Fabio Quagliarella was bagging goals in Serie A at the age of 39. Currently a free agent, aged 41, Quagliarella has consistently made 30+ appearances per season after the age of 36 for Sampdoria and scored as well.
In the 2018/19 season, at the age of 35, he had 34 goal contributions in just 36 games for the Italian outfit. He followed that season with 2 more years where he had 10+ goals and a couple of assists as well. He also made 3 appearances for Italy in 2020, scoring twice.
5. James Milner
James Milner has been around the Premier League forever now. At the age of 39 he’s still an important part of Brighton’s backline, making 20 appearances in the 2023/24 season. In his final season with Liverpool, aged 36, Milner made 43 appearances for the Reds.
At the age of 33-34, Milner hit his second prime under Jurgen Klopp, playing 82 games over 2 seasons, scoring 11 goals and assisting 10 enroute to a Premier League and a Champions League trophy.
6. Antonio Di Natale
Di Natale spent all of his time at Italian side Udinese, making 445 appearances for them and scoring 227 goals. But the stat that makes him a wonderunc, apart from being a club hero, is that he scored 114 goals from 96/97 through 06/07 season, then he scored another 197 goals between 07/08 through 15/16 season. Di Natale was 30 during the 07/08 season and he continued to bag goals till he was 38.
It is also reported that only Messi and Ronaldo outscored him over the course of 2009-11, making him strong shout for the ultimate wonderunc.
