Oldest men’s FIFA World Cup players: Goalkeepers rule the roost!
Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary is the oldest footballer to play at the men’s FIFA World Cup. England’s most-capped player Peter Shilton is fifth on the list.
All footballers dream of playing for as long as they can but only a few stay fit enough to make it possible. Some of them even get better with age.
While the best players of this era like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are playing their final football World Cup in Qatar, they are far from being the oldest to have featured in football’s biggest event.
Here’s a look at the oldest footballers to play at the FIFA World Cup; it’s a list dominated by goalkeepers.
Oldest footballers to play in men’s FIFA World Cup
Essam El-Hadary (Egypt) - 45 years, 161 days
Twenty-two years after making his debut for Egypt, Essam El-Hadary made his first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 against Saudi Arabia at the age of 45 years and 161 days.
The Pharaohs came into the Saudi Arabia contest having lost against Uruguay and Egypt in their earlier group matches. Egypt were in trouble against the Saudis and would have conceded in the first half if not for El-Hadary’s brilliant save off Fahad Al-Muwallad’s penalty kick.
Not only Essam El-Hadary became the oldest footballer to play at the FIFA World Cup on that day, but he also became the oldest debutant at the FIFA World Cup along with being the first African goalkeeper to save a penalty at the football World Cup.
El-Hadary made 159 appearances for Egypt in his international career. He was part of the Egyptian teams that won a hat-trick of AFCON titles between 2006 to 2010.
Faryd Mondragon (Colombia) - 43 years, 3 days
Before Essam El-Hadary in 2018, Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, at 43 years and three days, was the oldest footballer to play at the FIFA World Cup when he took the field in Colombia’s final group game against Japan in 2014.
Faryd Mondragon, however, still holds a few records. Faryd Mondragon also played for Colombia in the 1998 World Cup before playing in 2014. It is the longest a player has had to wait between two World Cup games.
The Colombian is also the oldest footballer in the FIFA World Cup knockouts having been on the bench in the quarter-finals against Brazil in 2014, in which Colombia lost 2-1. Mondragon announced his retirement soon after Colombia’s elimination.
Roger Milla (Cameroon) - 42 years, 39 days
Cameroon’s Roger Milla at the age of 42 years and 39 days is the third on the list of oldest footballers to play in the FIFA World Cup. However, he is the only striker to feature in the top five.
Milla struck Cameroon’s only goal in their 6-1 drubbing from Russia in the 1994 group stage. In the same match, Russia’s Oleg Salenko registered the record for scoring the most goals by an individual in a FIFA World Cup match with five goals.
Roger Milla scored 43 goals in 77 matches in a career spanning over two decades.
Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland) - 41 years
It was Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pat Jennings’s 41st birthday when he took the field against mighty Brazil in the group stage match of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. As most expected, the celebrations happened in the Brazilian camp as they put three goals past the birthday boy to register a 3-0 win.
Pat Jennings retired the same year after playing 119 matches for his country between 1964 and 1986.
Peter Shilton (England) - 40 years, 292 days
Famously remembered for being the goalkeeper against whom legendary Maradona scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup, England goalkeeper Peter Shilton achieved the feat of becoming the oldest footballer to feature in a World Cup game in 1990.
Peter Shilton was 40 years and 292 days old when he captained England in the third-place play-off against Italy in 1990, which England lost 2-1.
Shilton retired after the World Cup but not before becoming England's most-capped men's player with 125 internationals from 1970 to 1990.
Oldest footballer in the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Formiga, Brazil - 41 years and 112 days
Brazilian midfielder Formiga, at 41 years and 112 days, became the oldest footballer to play in the FIFA Women’s World Cup during Brazil’s quarter-final match against France in 2019, which they lost 2-1. Formiga is the only player across men’s and women’s competitions to play in seven FIFA World Cups. She is also the first female football player to participate in seven Olympic Games.
Formiga made her debut in 1995 and retired in 2021 after playing 234 matches for Brazil.