No, he does not need to be younger. He is at the perfect age. This type of defender peaks and enjoys his best years between 33 and 36-37. Italy has a tradition of defenders and it all starts at a very young age. For me it was a huge shock running into Primavera defenders and taking on italian defenders. Used to play youth tournaments all the time in Germany and France but it was nowhere near the same. The italian football school was always unrivaled when it comes to defenders and GKs.