Age is just a number to a lot of people. When looking for a partner in life, some athletes don’t seem to care if they are the older or younger person in the relationship. Most times it’s pretty acceptable to be a few years a part, but as you will see in this list, there are a few athletes that went a little far from their age group to find their mate.

Male athletes rarely have a problem finding a beautiful younger partner, as their multi-million dollar contracts and name recognition make it pretty easy for them to be sought after by younger women. For male athletes, it’s almost expected for them to have a young woman hanging off their arm, or a group of women always around them. For many male athletes, a younger woman has often worked out well for them, and resulted in marriage and children. Others couldn’t keep up to their younger better-half.

Then there are the male athletes that have the confidence to go after an older woman. Something about a woman who could teach even a pro athlete a thing or two is appealing, and men everywhere have no problems learning from an experienced woman. For any person, age is simply nothing more than a number dictating your years on this earth, and they don’t allow it to hold them back in their quest to find true love. Here are some athletes who fell for an older woman, and others who decided to go for women younger than themselves.

15 15. Older: Dwyane Wade

Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade is nine years junior to his wife, actress Gabriel Union. She has had a history of dating professional athletes before she married Wade. She was linked with basketball player Jason Kidd during her days at UCLA, and was married to NFL player Chris Howard, but divorced him in 2006. Three years later, she and Wade started dating, though it wasn’t a solid relationship throughout. During a break, Wade had a son with another woman. Despite this, in 2014 they were married, and remain so today. Both have had successful careers, and Wade has signed for millions of dollars and won NBA championships, so he definitely wasn’t looking for a sugar mama. And considering they both signed prenups, age was simply just a number.

14 14. Younger: Blake Griffin

28-year-old Detroit Piston forward Blake Griffin is linked to model Kendall Jenner, who is six years younger than he is. And considering her connection with NBA star Chandler Parsons, who is 29, Jenner has a history herself of dating older men. For Griffin, the relationship is going to put him in the spotlight even more, as Jenner is one of the hottest celebrities in the world, as she boasts one of the top Instagram accounts in the world with over 87.4 million followers. So far, however, no photos of her and Blake on her feed. Griffin was previously in a relationship where he had a son, so Kendall will have to do some growing up pretty quickly if the relationship is going to work out and she has to take on a step-mother role.

13 13. Older: Lewis Hamilton

Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me is something Nicole Scherzinger had asked plenty of times in her hit song. Although it appears the 39-year-old apparently wasn’t enough of a hit for 33-year-old race car driver Lewis Hamilton, who preferred his fast speeds and hot cars to the singer and leader of the Dolls. The two dated on and off for eight years, but Hamilton finally called it quits. This begs the question from many as too why he would pick a car over an attractive older woman in Scherzinger. Vintage cars age really well, but a look at Mrs. Scherzinger as of late has shown she has managed to age wonderfully and looks amazing for a woman who is about to hit 40 this year.

12 12. Younger: Sergei Federov

In 2003, rumours of marriage between Russian NHL star Sergei Federov and Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova came to light, as Federov admitted the two were married in 2001. Federov had dated the tennis star since she was 16-years-old, which would have made him 28 at the time. It’s one of the more creepy age differences for a couple, as Federov is 12 years older than Kournikova. The tennis star was known for her good looks on the court more so than her play, as she never accomplished much or won any major tournaments. Meanwhile, Federov won his share of Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. At one point, Federov was also linked to Tara Reid who is six years younger, so the Russian seems to have a thing for younger women.

11 11. Older: Nnamdi Asomugha

Retired NFL cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha is five years younger than his wife, actress Kerry Washington. She has starred as Olivia Pope in the hit ABC drama series Scandal. The two have a daughter together and remain very private about their marriage and personal life, something she probably learned off her show where she tried to keep scandals breaking on Washington’s elite. It was reported they met in 2009 while Washington was on Broadway and the former Oakland Raider attended a play with a friend and was instantly smitten by Washington. Washington first told Asomugha that she didn’t date athletes, to which he replied that he didn’t date actresses. Despite the small age gap, life seems to be going scandal free for the Asomugha family.

10 10. Younger: Jeff Garcia

47-year-old Jeff Garcia is 12 years older than his 35-year old wife, former Bunny and WWE Diva Carmella DeCesare. She appeared in a popular gentlemen's publication in 2003, and two years later was in the WWE as part of their Divas Search contest, where they brought in models to become professional wrestlers. Meanwhile, in 2003, Garcia was in his final year with the San Francisco 49ers as their starting quarterback. Before that he had a one year stint with Cleveland, two seasons with Philadelphia, and a two year stint in Tampa Bay before retiring after the 2009 season. Who could blame Garcia for wanting to date and marry a former Bunny. They have settled into a comfortable life, as they now have four kids together.

9 9. Older: Dion Phaneuf

At 35-years-old, Canadian Elisha Cuthbert is the older member of the pairing with her Canadian hockey player husband Dion Phaneuf, who is 32-years-old. The Girl Next Door actress and the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain tied the knot back in 2013, and recently welcomed their first child into their lives. At one point, Phaneuf was one of the best defensive prospects in the NHL, touted for his offensive ability. Cuthbert was named TV’s Most Beautiful Woman by Maxim in 2013, as the former daughter to Jack Bauer has been one of the most beautiful women to come out of Canada. There is only a three-year difference between them, but nothing wrong with an older woman who was one of the most beautiful women on television.

8 8. Younger: Jaromir Jagr

With the ageless wonder that is Jaromir Jagr, is it any surprise that the 46-year-old is still playing professional hockey, or that he is dating 26-year-old Veronica Koprivova, a Czech model? Jagr has had his history of dating younger woman, including an attempted blackmail scandal when he got with an 18-year-old who took a selfie and tried to extort money from the NHL legend. It didn’t work, as Jagr didn’t care and told the press to release the photo. Beside Koprivova, Jagr has a history of dating younger woman, and really, what can you expect, considering NHL players normally walk away from the game before they are 40, and Jagr is still trying to find a way to get back in after being let go from the Calgary Flames earlier this year.

7 7. Older: Mark Sanchez

Former New York Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez is known for his now famous fumble, where he ran into his own teammates behind and dropped the football. His inability to keep an eye on the prize also went into his personal life, as the now 31-year-old Sanchez was linked to now 36-year-old Jaime Lynn Sigler. It’s reported they split because of Sanchez’s wandering eye. At 36-years-old, Tony Soprano’s daughter still looks as stunning as ever, and it has to make you wonder if Sanchez took one too many hits to the head for his eye to be looking elsewhere. Sigler may be five years his senior, but we don’t see too many younger men turning their eyes away from her if she came walking into a room.

6  6. Younger: Sheldon Souray

41-year-old former NHL defenseman Sheldon Souray had no issue sharing his life with his much younger wife Barbara Blank, better know as the WWE’s Kelly Kelly. The two married in 2016, and were part of the E! Television Network show WAGS. But it didn’t last long, as the two split a year later. Perhaps it was an age thing, as Kelly Kelly is 10 years Souray’s junior. If you’ve seen the former model and wrestler in the ring, especially during her Extreme Exposé days where she was an exhibitionist on WWE’s ECW brand, you can see why the older Souray was drawn to the much younger woman. Had to be a little embarrassing for Souray, who had his marriage problems played out on WAGS for a national audience.

5 5. Older: Gerard Pique

Ten years separate Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique from his wife, Columbian singer Shakira. Her hit song and music video for “Whenever Wherever” showed off her tight midriff, which could have caught the attention of the younger Pique. When the song was released in 2001, Shakira was 24 years old, while her man was only 14 years old. The two met when Pique was part of a music video Shakira was producing for the song “Waka Waka which was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Since then, the couple has had two children, born in 2013 and 2015. Known for her hips and her provocative dancing, we’re sure the decade younger Pique was lost in the way the older Columbian moved them.

4 4. Younger: Derek Jeter

Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter has been known for his dating history, as the 43-year-old was linked to names such as Mariah Carey, Vida Guerra, Miss Universe Lara Dutta, and actress Jessica Biel. But it’s now 27-year-old Hannah Davis who caught the former shortstop's attention for the long haul. Despite a 16-year age difference, the two married in 2016, and welcomed their first child in 2017. The model was known for time with Ralph Lauren. She has appeared in five issues of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue from 2013 to 2017, and was on the cover in 2015. Considering the active social life the former New York Yankee has, it’s no question why he decided on a younger woman who could keep up with him.

3 3. Older: Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went a little bit older in his relationship with Olivia Munn, as the 34-year-old Rodgers was the junior in the relationship, compared to Munn who is now 37-years-old. The couple were together from 2014 to 2017, and recently Rodgers has been linked to another older woman, only this time a year older, as he is dating Danica Patrick. But despite the small age gap between Rodgers and Munn, they remained a fairly private couple, as the quarterbacks career was more the focus. Though looking at Munn, we totally get why Rodgers decided it was okay to be the younger one in the relationship. Munn, who may be pushing 40, still looks great and could pass for a 30-year-old pretty easily.

2 2. Younger: Justin Verlander

You don’t need to put too much thought into what attracted Justin Verlander, the 34-year-old pitcher for the Houston Astros, to supermodel Kate Upton, who is 10 years younger than he is. She has appeared in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, been a model, and one of the most sought after models in the world at that. The two had been dating for a couple of years before tying the knot, but haven’t been without a little controversy. Together they had photos leaked as part of hacking that was done on many celebrities, which resulted in nude photos of the two ending up on the internet for the world to see. But the two remained together through it all, and Verlander went on to win the World Series this year with the Astros. Needless to say, he has a pretty good life right now, especially with a 10-year young gorgeous woman like Upton on his arm.

1 1. Older: Tony Parker

Probably no athlete made more headlines for dating an older woman than San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker, who is seven years young than his wife, actress and former Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria. They met in 2004, and were married in 2007. It was reported that Parker was also having an affair, though the couple denied the allegations saying all high profile couples have to battle these sort of things in the media. Later, however, Parker would get caught cheating, which would end up in the couple divorcing in 2011. While Longoria may be an older woman, she’s still stunning at 42-years-old, and perhaps the younger Parker wasn’t ready to be in a relationship with a woman who knows what she wants.