Check out the top 10 oldest football players still playing

In world football, a player’s career is often determined by time. However, there are exceptions, veterans who have overcome the challenge of age to continue to beat the time and still perform impressively. In this article, Premiumsoccertips.net take a look at the oldest football players that fans may be surprised to learn that they are still playing.

Top 10 oldest football players

1. Kazuyoshi Miura

Kazuyoshi Miura, born on February 26, 1967, in Shizuoka City, Japan, is a veteran football player of the Japanese national team. He played a crucial role in Japan’s first-ever participation in the World Cup in 1998 and was awarded the Asian Football Confederation’s Player of the Year in 1993.

Miura had a prolific playing career both in Brazil and Europe before returning to play for clubs in Japan. He has played for prestigious teams such as Genoa C.F.C and Dinamo Zagreb. Currently, he is playing for Yokohama F.C in the J-League 2.

Kazuyoshi Miura - Oldest football players — Kazuyoshi Miura – Oldest football players

With the national team, Miura played 89 matches from 1990 to 2000 and scored 55 goals. He also had playing stints in Italy with Genoa C.F.C and briefly in the A-League with Sydney FC.

Kazu is also known for his special individual skills like the Kazu Feint and the Kazu dance whenever he scores a goal or performs exceptionally well. With patience and passion, Miura continues to play at a professional level until the age of 48 and remains a role model for young players.

2. Andrea Pierobon

Andrea Pierobon, born on July 19, 1969, in Italy, is considered the oldest football player to have ever played in the Italian national championship. Pierobon also played for several domestic clubs before joining Cittadella in Serie B. Throughout his career, this bald-headed goalkeeper made a total of 111 appearances in Serie B and came close to earning promotion to Serie A if his team had won against Brescia in the 2010 promotion play-off.

Andrea Pierobon - Oldest football players — Andrea Pierobon – Oldest football players

In 2015, Andrea Pierobon decided to retire at the age of 46 and pursue a coaching career. He is an Italian football coach and a former player who primarily played for Cittadella as a goalkeeper. He works as a goalkeeping coach with Cittadella. He holds the record for the oldest professional player in the history of Italian football. Pierobon returned to his original club after signing a contract with them to serve as a role model for the youth within the team.

3. Faryd Mondragon

Faryd Camilo Mondragon Ali, born on June 21, 1971, is a former Colombian professional footballer, renowned for his role as a goalkeeper. He played over 50 matches for the Colombian national team, participating in various tournaments such as the World Cup and Copa América.

Mondragon is the oldest player in World Cup history to take the field at the age of 43 years and 3 days in a match against Japan in 2014. Before that, he had participated in the 1998 World Cup and was often praised for his outstanding saves.

Faryd Mondragon - Oldest football players — Faryd Mondragon – Oldest football players

Alongside Carlos Valderrama, he is the only Colombian player to participate in six different World Cup qualifying campaigns from 1993. Mondragón also made a comeback to the Colombian national team at the age of 39 after a 5-year absence from international football. Mondragón’s record was later broken by Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary at the 2018 World Cup when he took the field at the age of 45.

4. Aleksandar Duric

Aleksandar Đurić, born on August 12, 1970, is a former professional footballer and is currently the Principal of Sport Singapore and the ActiveSG Football Academy. He had a diverse career, from playing in the Singapore Cosmopolitan Football League for SCC First to international appearances for the Singapore national team. Duric was also a top kayaker in his youth and participated in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Aleksandar Duric - Oldest soccer players — Aleksandar Duric – Oldest soccer players

In his football career, Duric played for several clubs in Singapore such as Tanjong Pagar United, Home United, Geylang United, Singapore Armed Forces, and Tampines Rovers, winning numerous national and individual honors. He also represented Singapore in the AFF Championship and retired from international football in 2012.

Outside of sports, Duric actively participates in charitable activities, including volunteering at a children’s home and fundraising activities such as running marathons to contribute to charitable organizations.

5. Teddy Sheringham

Teddy Sheringham, born on April 2, 1966, in Highams Park, London, England, is a former English footballer who captained Tottenham Hotspurs and played for Manchester United. He scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in the 1998-1999 season, helping Manchester United achieve a historic treble. Sheringham earned 51 caps for the England national team and was named the England Player of the Year in 2001. After stints with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, Sheringham played for several other English clubs such as Millwall F.C, Nottingham Forest F.C, Portsmouth, West Ham United F.C, and retired in 2008 while playing for Colchester F.C at the age of 42.

Teddy Sheringham - Oldest soccer players — Teddy Sheringham – Oldest soccer players

Sheringham holds numerous records in the Premier League, including being among the top 11 all-time leading scorers with 146 goals, as well as the oldest player to appear and score in the Premier League (at the ages of 40 years, 272 days and 40 years, 268 days respectively). He also scored the first-ever goal of the Premier League in a match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool when the English top flight was rebranded as the Premier League in the 1992/93 season.

6. Marco Ballotta

Marco Ballotta was born in 1964 in Reno, Italy, and played for about 15 different clubs during his career, including Lazio, Parma, Cesena, and Bologna. He achieved the most success with Parma and Lazio, winning a Serie A title, three national cups, one Italian Super Cup, two C2 cups, and two UEFA Super Cups. Ballotta is also the oldest player to have appeared in Serie A (at the age of 44 years, 38 days) and the UEFA Champions League (at the age of 43 years, 252 days). He retired at the age of 51 and transitioned into coaching.

Marco Ballotta - Oldest soccer players — Marco Ballotta – Oldest soccer players

During the 1992-1993 season, Ballotta enjoyed his best spell with Parma, winning the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and finishing third in Serie A. However, he struggled to maintain his form afterward, making only three appearances in the following season. He started as the first-choice goalkeeper in Parma’s win against AC Milan in the Supercup, but was later replaced by Luca Bucci in the 1993-1994 Cup Winners’ Cup. After spells with Brescia and Reggiana, Ballotta joined Lazio in the 1997-1998 season initially as a third-choice option.

7. John Burridge

John Burridge was born on December 3, 1951, in Workington, England. He had a diverse football career, playing for 29 clubs over 30 years, setting a record that still stands in English football. He played for famous clubs like Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Southampton, and Queens Park Rangers. Burridge also achieved notable success, winning the League Cup with Aston Villa in 1997 and the English First Division title with Crystal Palace in the 1978-1979 season. He played 768 matches across English, Scottish, and other leagues.

John Burridge - Oldest soccer players — John Burridge – Oldest soccer players

Burridge began his career at Workington before moving to Blackpool, where he won his first title, the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1971. He later joined Aston Villa and spent two seasons there, winning the League Cup before losing his place to Jimmy Rimmer.

8. Rivaldo

Rivaldo was born on April 19, 1972, in Paulista, Pernambuco, Brazil. He is a renowned midfielder known for his skilled left foot and successful stints with various clubs, particularly Barcelona, where he won numerous titles including La Liga and Copa del Rey. Rivaldo played a crucial role in Brazil’s victory at the 2002 World Cup. He retired from professional football at the age of 44, accumulating 753 official matches and scoring 358 goals.

Rivaldo - Oldest soccer players — Rivaldo – Oldest soccer players

In 1999, Rivaldo continued to impress with Barcelona, winning another La Liga title and being honored as FIFA World Player of the Year as well as European Golden Shoe winner. During this time, despite conflicts with coach Louis van Gaal, Rivaldo still scored crucial goals, including a hat-trick against Valencia CF, with the final goal being considered a technical masterpiece in his career.

9. Andy Legg

Andy Legg was born on July 28, 1966, in Neath, Wales. He is also known as a player who represented numerous clubs, including Swansea City, Notts County, Birmingham City, Ipswich Town, Reading, Peterborough United, Cardiff City, and Newport County. Andy Legg played as a left-back and was famous for his long throw-ins with tremendous power. He also held the world record for the longest throw-in at 44.6 meters, regularly executing throws of over 30 meters. Andy Legg played his last match for Llanelli AFC at the age of 42 before transitioning into coaching.

Andy Legg - Oldest soccer players — Andy Legg – Oldest soccer players

Andy Legg joined Peterborough United as a player-coach, making his debut on the first day of the season in a 3-4 loss against Hartlepool United. As Steve Bleasdale’s assistant manager at Peterborough United, he appeared briefly in the television series Big Ron Manager alongside Ron Atkinson and Barry Fry. In 2004, a second tumor appeared in his throat, and after consulting with a specialist, he decided to wait until the end of the season to undergo surgery to remove it. However, in a match against Oldham Athletic on January 22, 2005, he was elbowed in the throat by Neil Kilkenny. Reacting angrily, Andy Legg was subsequently sent off the field for retaliating against Kilkenny.

10. Dave Beasant

Dave Beasant was born on March 20, 1959, in Willesden, London, England. He is a veteran goalkeeper in English football who played for several prestigious clubs such as Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Wigan Athletic. While not winning many titles, Dave Beasant maintained remarkable consistency and performance throughout his career. In 2014, following his son’s injury, Beasant, at the age of 55, donned his gloves and played for Stevenage Borough FC despite primarily serving as the team’s goalkeeping coach at the time.

Dave Beasant - Oldest soccer players — Dave Beasant – Oldest football players

Beasant was selected by manager Bobby Robson to play two international matches for the England national team. His first appearance for England was at Wembley Stadium on November 15, 1989, against Italy in a friendly match, where he replaced Peter Shilton in the first half and kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw. The following month, on December 13, also at Wembley, he made his second appearance in a friendly match against Yugoslavia, once again coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 win for England. He was a member of the England squad for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, called up after David Seaman withdrew due to injury. Beasant also served as a senior coach at the Glenn Hoddle Academy, joining in 2008 and working not only with the academy’s goalkeepers but also with outfield players, especially defenders.

Conclude

The above are the coldest football players who have played professional football. Which name are you most impressed with, please leave your comments in the comments. Thank you for following our article!