The term “freedom” is hard to define. Not because it’s something unclear but because its definition varies from person to person, as each individual has a different interpretation of it. And while it’s hard to say how someone else would define freedom, we can at least hint at what it represents to two “elderly” men who choose to keep playing football while most of their football peers enjoy retirement. For them, it’s playing in your homeland, in front of your compatriots – playing at Libertad.Back in 1905, a group of ten young people, inspired by the Liberal Party’s triumph over the dominant Colorado Party the same year, decided to found a football club and name it Libertad (or Freedom, translated from Spanish) at the suggestion of the first President, Juan Manuel Sosa.##EDITORS_CHOICE##So, one club’s roots and two players’ understanding of freedom merged at Estadio Tigo La Huerta, and the results couldn’t have been better, as Libertad have been dominant in the past three years in the Paraguayan Primera Division.The first “mysterious” player is the former Benfica net-buster and 2010 UEFA Europa League top scorer Oscar Cardozo, who joined the club in 2017. Aged 34 back then, he probably thought about playing a few seasons at home and putting an end to an amazing career. Eight years later, Cardozo is 41 and he’s still there!However, Libertad’s rise didn’t start with his arrival, as the two most successful Paraguayan sides, Olimpia Asuncion and Cerro Porteno, had been untouchable. Cardozo and the popular Cabbage Growers needed help. And they got it five years later, in 2022 when another legend decided to return.This is class 🇵🇾 Club Libertad are currently topping the Paraguayan Primera Division with a strike partnership of 43-year-old Roque Santa Cruz and 41-year-old Oscar Cardozo. Combined age: 84 years 👴👴Combined career goals: 566 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CAE5J7kyze— The Sun Dream Team (@dreamteamfc) February 26, 2025 After more than 200 games with Bayern Munich, the UCL semi-final reached with the Spanish Malaga, and over 30 Premier League goals scored for Blackburn and Man City, Paraguay’s third all-time appearance-maker and all-time leading scorer, Roque Santa Cruz, returned to find his freedom at the age of 41! He is 43 now, and – guess what – he’s still playing!Since Cardozo and Santa Cruz’s reunion, Libertad have won as many as eight trophies (three Aperturas, one Clausura, two Cups, and as many Super Cups) and are currently ruling the Paraguayan football, while their 84-year-old duo still strikes fear into the rivals’ bones.And if you are wondering why the opponents are afraid of “two grandpas,” just remember that they have scored 566 career goals combined. And may they keep busting nets because Oscar Cardozo, Roque Santa Cruz, and Libertad have provided us with one of the most beautiful stories in today’s football.##NAJAVA_MECA_8809679##
