With the World Cup 2022 underway, it would be fascinating to reflect on prior competitions and relive some of the most memorable events that have been developed.
Football’s wonderful game is celebrated during the World Cup. Almost every edition of the quadrennial competition contains records, goals, and moments that elevate someone to the position of demigod. Let us explore some of these records that raise the question of whether the players are indeed human.
Here is the list of top oldest players to score in World Cup history:
10. Miroslav Klose (2014): 36 years, 29 days
Klose, a striker, owns the milestone for the most goals scored in FIFA World Cups and is Germany’s all-time leading scorer. His work with the German national team is most known for it.
His five goals in his 2002 World Cup debut and his five goals in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where he earned the Golden Boot, give him the record for most goals scored in FIFA World Cup competitions. He also scored twice at the 2014 World Cup, surpassing Brazil’s Ronaldo’s 15 goals from the previous tournament, and four times at the 2010 World Cup.
9. Tom Finney (1958): 36 years, 64 days
Tom Finney is regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever played the sport. He scored 187 goals and made 433 appearances throughout his 14 years at Preston. He was knighted in 1998 and twice named Footballer of the Year, but he never received a significant club honor. In 1954, he played in just one FA Cup Final, which Preston lost 2-3 to West Bromich Albion.
8. Georges Bregy (1994): 36 years, 152 days
Georges is a former midfielder and striker for the Swiss national team. Between 1984 and 1994, he appeared for the Swiss national team 54 times and scored 12 goals. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he took part in four matches and scored a free-kick goal against the Americans. With 21 goals during the season, Bregy was named Switzerland’s top scorer in 1984.
7. Martín Palermo (2010): 36 years, 227 days
Palermo was chosen on May 19 to be a part of the 23-man final roster for the Argentina national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, which was Palermo’s first World Cup.
In the second half of Argentina’s final group encounter against Greece on June 22, 2010, Palermo participated in his first World Cup game.
He got his first World Cup goal ever in the 89th minute on a Lionel Messi shot deflection. Argentina finished first in their group after a 2-0 victory. [48] Palermo’s goal also broke Diego Maradona’s record for the oldest Argentine national footballer to score a goal in World Cup action.
6. Obdulio Varela (1954): 36 years, 279 days
In South America, Varela, who led Uruguay to the 1950 World Cup victory, is recognized as one of the greatest national team leaders of all time. Uruguayan football fans continue to revere the holding midfielder.
Varela scored his final World Cup goal in a 4-2 victory over England in Switzerland in June 1954. The good news is that. The bad news was that he was hurt while celebrating the goal and never again participated in a World Cup game, which was unfortunate for Uruguay given that they had never lost one of his games (W6 D1 L0).
5. Felipe Baloy (2018): 37 years, 120 days
In 2018, Panama participated in their first World Cup. The Central American nation qualified for Russia before the United States. They have little chance of surprising the tournament’s odds. They shared a difficult group with England and Belgium. Felipe Baloy, who scored against England for Panama’s first-ever World Cup goal, was able to enjoy himself.
The defender will never forget the goal, even if the Three Lions defeated them 6-1. The oldest player to ever score in their debut World Cup game is Baloy, who entered the game as a replacement nine minutes before the goal. Additionally, he is the player with the fourth-oldest score in World Cup history.
4. Cuauhtémoc Blanco (2010): 37 years, 151 days
Mexicans live longer than the general population in some mysterious way. Only four players in history have attended all five World Cups, including two Mexicans. With Andres Guardado and Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico will continue to hold a 50% share of the club of nations with at least five World Cup victories after Qatar 2022, bringing the total to eight.
Cuauhtémoc Blanco became the first Mexican to score in three different World Cups, albeit falling short of the record. He became the third-oldest player to score a goal in a World Cup in 2010 when he converted a penalty kick against France. He was 40 years old at the time.
3. Gunnar Gren (1958): 37 years, 236 days
The 1958 World Cup was held in Sweden, which advanced to the final before falling to Brazil, whose squad included a youthful Pele. Gunnar Gren played a key role in Sweden’s victory over West Germany in the semi-final, starting and scoring. Gren was selected for the World Cup All-Star team after Sweden’s 3-1 comeback victory.
The former AC Milan forward quit playing for his country after the competition. He played against Denmark in his final international game in October 1958. His 32 goals in 58 appearances before he retired are the most in Swedish history by just four players. Anyone else had to wait 64 years to surpass Gren’s mark and join the group of World Cup goal scorers who were beyond 40.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: 37 years 295 days
Because of his prolific goal-scoring, Ronaldo currently sets a record every time he scores. He became the second-oldest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history when he scored in the opening match of the World Cup 2022’s group stage.
Former Manchester United striker Gunnar Gren, who was 37 years and 236 days old when he scored in a 1958 FIFA World Cup semifinal game against West Germany, had previously held the record. This is Ronaldo’s opportunity to atone.
1. Roger Milla (1994): 42 years, 39 days
For his team’s performance in Italia ’90, the seasoned forward from Cameroon Roger Milla was persuaded to come out of retirement, and he quickly scored and danced his way into World Cup mythology.
The 38-year-old was one of the tournament’s breakout stars after scoring four goals, and his signature celebration dance with the corner flag became a defining image of the 1990 World Cup. Cameroon became the first African team to reach the World Cup quarterfinals thanks to Milla’s goals.
After winning the award for the first time in 2003, Milla was once again named African Footballer of the Year in appreciation of his outstanding performance. However, he wasn’t content with that and returned to the World Cup four years later to better his previous mark.
The Indomitable Lions, Milla’s 1994 side, did not proceed past the group stage, but he did score the game-winning goal in a historic win over Russia. He became the oldest player to ever score in a World Cup just over a month after turning 42.
Read: Check out the 4 different players who scored goals in six straight World Cup games
