AC Milan's very old men are sauntering around a training pitch in the hills near Lake Como. A grey man in a blue suit and blue trenchcoat gazes down at them, smoking a cigarette. Surely this smoker can't be the head of football's best medical team?

But it is. Jean Pierre Meersseman, Belgian director of the Milan Lab, may have discovered the secret of eternal youth. His Lab has helped make Milan world and European champions. On Tuesday, in the Champions League's second round, Milan defend their title against Arsenal's kids.

"As a matter of fact," chuckles Meersseman when we sit down, "yesterday we had a game, and the average age was 33. We have the oldest team in Europe."

He singles out Milan's eternal captain, Paolo Maldini. "He's close to being 40, and whenever he was running against that kid playing against him yesterday, he was much stronger. He's close to perfect."

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