# Top 10 oldest active footballers in the world in 2022

URL: https://technosports.co.in/top-10-oldest-footballers-world-2022/  
Published: 2022-08-18  
Updated: 2022-08-18  
Author: Rahul Roy

Football, as a competitive sport, is not kind to the passage of time. With the average footballer retiring at around 35 years of age, the options after this point become limited for many players. Many become managers or pundits, whilst others quit the sport altogether. However, some players defy the odds and continue to represent their teams well beyond the average career expectancy.

So, here we will take a look at the top 10 oldest active footballers in the world in 2022.

## **Top 10 oldest active footballers in the world in 2022**

## 1. Joaquín | 41 years

Position: Winger  
Country: Spain  
Club: Real Betis  
League: LaLiga

## 2. Fábio | 41 years

Position: Goalkeeper  
Country: Brazil  
Club: Fluminense  
League: Série A

## 3. Rafael Bracali | 41 years

Position: Goalkeeper  
Country: Brazil  
Club: Boavista  
League: Liga Portugal

## 4. Willy Caballero | 40 years

Position: Goalkeeper  
Country: Argentina  
Club: Southampton  
League: Premier League

## 5. Diego López | 40 years

Position: Goalkeeper  
Country: Spain  
Club: Rayo Vallecano  
League: LaLiga

![Zlatan Ibrahimovic to extend AC Milan contract for one more season](https://technosports.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2916129-59916548-2560-1440-1024x576.jpg)
*credits – skysportaustria.at*

## 6. Zlatan Ibrahimović | 40 years

Position: Striker  
Country: Sweden  
Club: AC Milan  
League: Serie A

## 7. Pepe Reina | 39 years

Position: Goalkeeper  
Country: Spain  
Club: Villarreal  
League: LaLiga

## 8. Fábio Quagliarella | 39 years

Position: Forward  
Country: Italy  
Club: Sampdoria  
League: Serie A

## 9. Franck Ribéry | 39 years

Position: Winger  
Country: France  
Club: Salernitana  
League: Serie A

## 10. Pepe | 39 years

Position: Centre Back  
Country: Portugal  
Club: Porto  
League: Liga Portugal

There is a three-way tie between the oldest active footballers throughout the world’s biggest football leagues. Spanish winger and Betis legend Joaquín, along with Fluminense’s Fábio and Boavista’s Rafael Bracali all share the top spot, at 41 years of age.

The only English Premier League player in the top 10 is Southampton’s Argentine goalkeeper Willy Caballero, at 40 years of age. He shares this spot with footballing legend Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Swedish striker is still at the top of his game and helped lead AC Milan to their 19th Serie A title last season.

Other recognisable names make it onto the top 10, at 39 years of age: players like former Bayern Munich star Franck Ribéry and notoriously hot-headed Portuguese defender Pepe.

Three of the world’s oldest active footballers are Spanish, a nation which was ranked healthiest in the world in 2019. Perhaps it is this that allows their footballers to remain active all the way into their early 40s.

The majority of the oldest active footballers are Goalkeepers. There are many possible reasons for this position’s longevity when compared to outfield players – principally, that goalkeepers are the only players on the pitch who don’t require good pace, something that fades naturally with age.

## *Interesting trivia*

- **Brazil’s Série A is the big football league with the highest number of players over the age of 35** – an impressive 26.
- **Germany’s Bundesliga is the big football league with the lowest number of players over the age of 35** – only 3.

[*Source*](https://www.voetbaltravel.nl/)

Read: [East Bengal Club inaugurates their Sports Museum](https://technosports.co.in/2022/08/18/east-bengal-club-inaugurates/)