“I’ll play as long as my body permits it.”

VfL Bochum captain Anthony Losilla signed a one-year contract extension on Thursday that will keep him suiting up for the Revierklub through his 39th birthday. 

Thirty-seven-year-old VfL Bochum skipper Anthony Losilla has decided that he has yet another year of football left in him. The Revierklub’s long-time captain signed on for another year with the club he’s represented for nearly a decade. Losilla opted against retirement exactly one year ago today by inking a one-year-extension on January 18th, 2023.

Today’s date also marks an important milestone for another legendary German club player. Eintracht Frankfurt’s “eternal Makoto Hasebe” commemorated his 40th birthday. Losilla’s new deal will keep him suiting up for Bochum, ideally again in the German first division, through his 39th birthday on March 10th, 2025.

“Toto’s [Losilla’s] performance year after year has been exceptional and cannot be praised enough,” VfL personnel executive Patrick Fabian noted in a statement released by the club, “We are proud to have such a personality in our ranks.”

“Every year, Toto Losilla faces up to the competition,” Fabian’s front office colleague Marc Lettau added, “This is all the more remarkable as he consistently performs at the top level in one of the best leagues in the world in a position that requires a lot of running and tackling in addition to leading the team as our captain.”

“I’ve always said that I want to play for as long as my body permits it,” the player himself said, “I’ll have been at Bochum for ten years in the summer and I’m really looking forward to going into an eleventh year as a player. I’m now the second-oldest outfield player in the Bundesliga. I never thought I’d reach that mark.”

More about Anthony Losilla

More about Bochum