PLAYING at the World Cup is the pinnacle of any footballer’s career but it’s sometimes the players at the tail-end of their journey who create the best stories.
This year sees Canadian midfield veteran holding the unwanted title of oldest player in the competition. But a goal from the 39-year-old would only see him reach number two on the list of oldest scorers in the tournament.
A hattrick for anyone over the age of 33 years and 130 days will see them break the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2018 Russian World Cup during Portugal’s 3-3 draw to Spain.
Who is the oldest FIFA World Cup goal scorer?
Three players have managed to find the net at the age of 37, the youngest of which being Panama’s Felipe Baloy who at 37 years and 120 days found himself on the scoresheet in their 6-1 defeat to England in 2018.
Swede Gunnar Gren and Mexican Cuauhtémoc Blanco make up second and third place respectively, yet are still five years younger than the current record holder.
However it’s none other than the Cameroonian legend Roger Milla who holds the prestigious title of the oldest man to score in a World Cup game.
With 42 years and 39 days under his belt, Milla bagged a consolation goal against Russia in a 6-1 defeat during the group stages, breaking his own record he set four years previous in Italia 1990.
Milla wasn’t the only player to break a record that day, as Russian forward Omeg Salenko became the first and only player to score five goals in a single World Cup game.
Whilst holding onto the record of the oldest scorer, Milla lost out to Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary in 2018 as the oldest player to feature in a World Cup game topping the list at 45 years of age.
