Weeds and dirt and worms and flowers. Soon enough, every sinew of our being will be overloaded with the stuff. There’s no escaping it in our mortal flesh, and the corroding effect of time even conspires to destroy man’s most hallowed creations.
Here are 20 once-great footballing grounds that have since been decimated by the ravages of old age.
Estadio Lluís Sitjar in Mallorca, Spain
Estadio Insular in Las Palmas, Spain (Converted into a park)
Stadium in Bratislava, Slovakia
Buckingham Road in Chesham, England
Central Dynamo Stadium in Moscow, Russia
Stadion Za Luzankami in Brno, Czech Republic
Boothferry Park in Hull, England
Feethams Stadium in Darlington, England
Sealand Road in Chester, England
Nene Park Stadium in Irthlingborough, England
Millmoor Ground in Rotherham, England
Stadion Dziesieciolecia Manifestu in Warsaw, Poland
Invicta Ground in London, England
Campo Testaccio in Rome, Italy
Vetch Field in Swansea, Wales
Victory Stadium in Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukraine
Lenin Stadium in Ukraine (has since been fully renovated)
Bezigrad Stadium in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Avangard Stadium in Pripyat, Ukraine
Jose Marti Parque Stadium in Havana, Cuba