Redfox211 gives us an insight into how Football Manager player stats evolve and then come crashing down. Nurturing the young? Nursing the old? Check this guide out for more information!

Another article I'm writing, this time on players' peaks. Soccer career is just like life; there are ups and downs in it. You can't be Player of the Year forever. So this is what the guide is for: talking about it and explaining why it happens. And for some people who don't know what are peaks, just take it this way: When you're a kid, you grow up under the guidance of your father. When you're a teenager you are at perhaps the years of your life where you will grow and develop very quickly, slowly into the next big thing in the working world. When you're an adult and finally start working, you are at the best times of your life, because your knowledge has been put to the limit and is already at a very high level. But when you grow old and retire, you start forgetting things, and you are hearing your old apprentices call you a "has-been". Well, what can you do? It's just life. It's just peaks.

Simple Explanation on Abilities and Potentials Through Training or Natural Development

Will keep this short. There is a rule that applies to players in every position, and that is:
"Players that are 24 years and above are less likely to see dramatic improvements to their attributes through training or natural progression."
So that means you would have to rely on physical training to increase their stats, unlike youngsters where their stats will increase naturally. However, that doesn't mean you can just stop playing that player and excuse him from training because you would be destroying a youngster's future! Check on your players stats in training and see if you are on the right track; be sure to change the training fast though. Because there are something called peaks, and it differs for different players. For more on current ability and current potential, read Agusta's guide on CA and PA.

After Retirement

For some players, after they retire as a professional football player, they may decide to take on staff roles and become a coach, manager, or whatever. This is a little interesting because it's fun seeing the player you have nurtured for years work as a coach under you. For some, sadly, they just disappear from the gameworld.

Goalkeepers

The players who try to prevent conceding goals for you, as suggested by the name. They are perhaps the players with the greatest workrate, and best stamina in football, as players in this position play on till they are very old. Their peak is also at a very late age: From 31 to 35 years old. And those ages are the times when other players retires. So kudos to them, and you can't help but salute them!

• 15 to 22 years old - Little improvements in skill. Not the best times of their life yet.
• 23 to 27 years old - Developing stages. Easy to develop and grow, but also easy to drop in their skills.
• 27 to 30 years old - Stats and skills may drop a little.
• 31 to 35 years old - Their peak, finally. Can maintain their skills for long time, and sometimes stats and skills are high.
• 36 years old and above - Past their peak, if no more future then they will retire. Some will play on as a backup. And if they're still able to cut the mustard, may be called up to represent their nation still.

Defenders

They're always reliable and tend to have a great sense of leadership. They are strong, and are normally given the captain armband. 27 to 32 years old is their peak, being the most consistent part of their career.

• 15 to 21 years old - Developing stages. If impressive, may be attracting clubs.
• 22 to 26 years old - Still developing and growing but not that dramatic anymore. Some are being relied on at this age and are always there to do the job.
• 27 to 32 years old - The part of their life where they can maintain their stats even though they don't improve that much. Normally dubbed as "the rock at the heart of the defence", and is being captained and organizes the defence really well.
• 33 years old and above - Play for a few more years and will retire. Some can last on though, and is still being made captain due to his vast experience.

Midfielders

Be it playmakers, wingers or defensive-midfielders, these players are sometimes being made captain if they possess leadership qualities. They are normally the backbone of the team, as they are the ones who pass the ball well and in the end lead to the striker scoring, or they help the defence when possible and look virtually tireless.

• 15 to 20 years old - If impressive in the reserves, they may be given a call-up to the first-team but they probably won't be given major roles such as playmaker. Develops quite a lot.
• 21 to 26 years old - For elite bloomers, they may be given major roles and become the person who makes everyone else look great, such as creating scoring opportunities. Still develops but not as dramatic for their latter part of their career.
• 27 to 32 years old - The consistent stage of their career. Stats may drop, but they will try their best to hold on to their current skills. Normally outshined by other midfielders who are up and rising, but will be remembered and the mentor of the younger ones.
• 33 years old and above - May still play, but at about 35 they stop and call it a day.

Strikers

Here it is. The players whom some people call "the most important players in the club". They are normally in the spotlight, and their peak is the earliest.

• 15 to 17 years old - Developing stages. Not really dramatic but quite well.                                                                                                       
• 18 to 20 years old - Develop a lot and may be given occasional first-team spots. Some are even regarded as a key-player.
• 21 to 25 years old - The most explosive years of their life, scoring and providing assists at times. Stats are still increasing.
• 26 to 31 years old - Their peak. They maintain their stats but don't improve much anymore. The good ones may be key-players for their national team, and regarded as a "legendary striker".
• 32 years old and above - Lose their skills and consistency. Average players retire at 33. Those who can still play normally play till 38. They are probably one of the weirdest types of players. They have most of the skills they have when they were young but not their stamina. That's why they retire.