Whether it’s in the MLB, The Masters, the NFL offseason or even the UEFA Champions League, numerous veteran greats have been making headlines as of late and ensuring that their names go down in history forever; it’s a nostalgic fan’s dream come true.

With opening day taking place this past Thursday in the MLB, St. Louis Cardinals fans were given the opportunity to rejoice as they hosted their home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. For most teams, the first game of the season stands as a hope-filled day. Up and coming players meet returning crowd favorites, and most of all, everyone starts with the same 0-0 record. In many cases, all eyes fall on the youngest players on the roster to see if any improvements have been made during the offseason. However, things looked very different for Cardinals lovers as all heads were turned toward one of the greatest veteran sluggers of the 21st century.

During Thursday’s day game, Albert Pujols started on Opening Day for his 22nd straight season as designated hitter in the 9-0 shutout victory. Naturally, the St. Louis legend, who was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 1999 MLB draft, received an enormous standing ovation by the fans gathered in Busch Stadium. After all, Pujols did hit 445 of his 679 career home runs while wearing a Cardinals jersey. While he chases the monumental achievement of 700 total homers, the city of St. Louis will undoubtedly be backing him all the way, as they remember his legendary postseason runs a decade ago.

However, sports fans were torn on Thursday due to the overload of sports mania taking place. Aside from the buzz of MLB’s long awaited Opening Day, golf fans got more than their fix of action with the start of The Masters tournament that carried on through Sunday. Despite Scottie Sheffler finishing the weekend with the prized green jacket on his back, all of the talk surrounded the legend himself, Tiger Woods.

Defying all of the odds, Woods made his return to The Masters competition in its 86th year. Surprisingly, his driving was higher than many expected as he averaged just over 284 yards and hit 67.9% of fairways according to espn.com. The fan favorite even managed to finish amongst the top 10 players after the first day of competition. In a tournament that demands 72 holes to be played over just four days, Tiger did the impossible simply by playing in the tournament. Countless injuries, surgeries and other obstacles did their best to stop Tiger from competing, but this weekend he did what many thought he would never do again.

But Tiger isn’t the only player who has shocked millions of fans. After so much sorrow following the big retirement announcement of quarterback Tom Brady, the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) revealed to the world that he was going to be back again with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The regular season may seem far away, but adoring fans and fantasy football addicts alike are already hyped for the big return and Brady’s 23rd season in the NFL. Although it has been almost one month since the big announcement, it just adds to the massive wave of nostalgia that has surged in the world of sports as of late.

It’s true that the story of veteran players tearing up the competition in the United States is impressive, but this resurgence of all-time greats continuing to prove their worth is happening on a global scale. As many are aware of, the UEFA Champions league is well underway, with the majority of the competition having already been weeded out. Now it has all come down to the best of the best as the remaining eight squads scratch and claw for the silverware.

Such intense competition is what viewers have come to expect from arguably one of the greatest tournaments in world football, but perhaps one thing that has been unexpected has been the quality of one man. Karim “the dream” Benzema has been putting on brilliant displays at the age of 34 years old, leading his squad, Real Madrid, to two consecutive victories in the competition. Scoring six goals in his last 75 minutes of play, Benzema has found the net very frequently while notching a hat-trick in back to back games, the first being against early favorites in the tournament, Paris Saint Germain.

Despite PSG winning the first leg of the round of 16 at home by a score of 1-0, Real Madrid answered strongly in the second leg with the comeback of a lifetime. Although Paris notched a key goal to go up 2-0 on aggregate, Benzema had an answer in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals in rapid succession. By wreaking havoc on the defense with his pressing ability, Benzema signed his name in the history books by crushing the dreams of PSG, and securing Madrid’s spot in the quarterfinals.

As one might expect, the goal scoring did not stop there for the seasoned veteran, who is no stranger to the bright lights. As Madrid’s XI sported some uncharacteristic navy blue socks with their otherwise white kits, Benzema prepared for yet another standout performance, this time against English club, Chelsea. Low and behold, another three goals were rained down on keeper Edouard Mendy last Wednesday with Madrid prevailing 3-1. Only time will tell if the old Frenchman can take his club to the finals yet again.

At this rate, sports fanatics around the globe can expect virtually anything to happen following recent events. The past few weeks have been nothing short of glorious for any fans of old-school greats making big time comebacks on the largest stages in the world. However, if there is any major takeaway from these achievements, it is that these players are men that should be admired and appreciated while they are still playing. Despite their recent accomplishments and their impressive ages, no one can play forever, which means that each moment left with these players should be greatly cherished.