One of the brightest and most beloved foreign players in the history of the RPL by Russian fans, Vagner Love, turned 40 years old. The former CSKA player has not yet completed his career and, in addition, performs at a fairly high level. In June, the forward scored in the Brazilian Championship.
Vagner Love in the ranking of the most successful military equipment transfers:
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15 best transfers in CSKA history
Vagner Love celebrated his anniversary as a player for Atlético Goianiense, which was promoted to Serie A at the end of the 2023 season. Last season, the team from the city of Goiânia ranked fourth in Serie B, and just the quartet of the top. to the elite. Atlético Goianiense, frankly, is not the club with the most titles. It is only their fourteenth season in the first division and all their trophies are victories in the Goiás state championship. Naturally, after a difficult promotion, the simple task is to remain in Serie A, but after seven rounds of the Brazilian Championship of the 2024 season, Atlético Goianiense finds itself in the relegation zone, in 18th place (out of 20 clubs ).
Vagner Love did not reach the elite with the team. The forward was also in Serie B last season, but he played for Sport Recife, which finished only in seventh place, despite being just one point behind Atlético Goianiense. Vagner Love showed a decent performance for an “old man”: he scored 11 goals in 33 matches. He was among the top 3 on the list of top scorers in the second division. Additionally, he scored a couple more goals in the Brazilian Cup.
LOVE VAGNER
Photo: Thiago Lemos/ZUMA/TASS
As a result, Atlético Goianiense took the risk of signing an almost 40-year-old player before starting Serie A. The contract was signed for one season. Vagner Love received the prestigious “nine” in the new club and said about his career plans:
“I am happy to be able to continue playing at a high level. I am preparing very well to maintain the pace throughout the season. And it’s great that you can do this without much effort. I haven’t had many injuries, I feel very good physically and I want to take advantage of it. “Maybe I’ll play another three or four years.”
In preparation for the 2024 season, Atlético Goianiense traditionally competes in the Goiás state championship. Vagner Love quickly found himself in the new team and performed very well: in 16 games he scored six goals and gave two assists. He helped the team win the Goiano League. But he still can’t fool his age and the young competitors have his back. In the playoffs, Vagner Love usually came on as a substitute.
In the first five days of the new Brazilian championship, coach Jair Ventura also used the former military man little. Vagner Love came on twice as a substitute and was on the bench three times during the 90 minutes. However, in June, after a streak of five games without a win, the situation changed for the forward. In the match against Vitoria (2-0), he entered the starting eleven for the first time and scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute, breaking away from a defender in a corner and sending the ball into the goalkeeper’s area. . Vagner Love spent an inning and a half on the field and walked off the field a hero.
LOVE VAGNER
Photo: Thiago Lemos/ZUMA/TASS
In the next round, Vagner Love was again included in the starting eleven, but this time he was substituted at half-time. Atlético Goianiense lost to Juventude (0-1). To date, in 152 minutes played in the Brazilian Championship, the 40-year-old forward has two shots (both on goal), one pass under attack, six accurate passes in the opposite third, five duels won and three fouls committed on himself . .
The other day, Vagner Love gave an interview to Globoesporte, in which he shared his plans after retiring. It turns out that his future is not related to football. The Brazilian spoke about his other hobby:
“I would like to do something completely different. At home, I joke with my friends that I’ll take a cooking class. Because I like doing things in the kitchen, I like grilling. This is what catches my attention. I like to do something with meat and from time to time I cook risotto and pasta dishes. “If I leave football, I will take a different path.”
But for now, fans in Brazil can still see Vagner Love scoring goals. Now, at 40 years old, the Atlético Goianiense striker is the fourth oldest player in Serie A. He will have to stay in football to become the league’s record holder.
