Age is just a number! Cristiano Ronaldo and top 10 oldest players at World Cup
The 2026 edition of the World Cup continues to prove that for some players, age is just a number.
The likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Guillermo Ochoa are featuring in their sixth consecutive World Cup edition, as veterans such as Luka Modrić and Edin Džeko became only the third and fourth outfield players aged 40+ to ever feature in a FIFA World Cup after Cameroon’s legend Roger Milla and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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K24 Digital Sports delves into the list of the record-breaking, oldest players who have so far appeared in the history of the competition.
Essam El Haddary (45 years 161 days)
The legendary Egyptian shot stopper became the oldest player to feature in the World Cup during the 2018 edition, according to Opta Stats.
The custodian was called to take his place between the sticks in the final group match against Saudi Arabia on June 25, 2028, making him the oldest player in World Cup history.
An ever-present figure in the multiple-time African champions, especially during their 2008-2012 triumph on the African stage, El-Haddary broke fellow goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón’s record of playing while aged 43 years, three days.
Fardy Mondragon (43 years three days)
The veteran keeper made his record-breaking performance during Colombia’s historic run in the 2014 edition.
José Pékerman allowed Mondragón one last moment in the sun and brought him on for the final group-stage match against Japan. With five minutes to go, the goalkeeper broke the record as the oldest player to appear in a World Cup game with the brief appearance before El Haddary broke his record four years down the line.
The Colombian shot-stopper does still hold one key record, though. Having been part of Colombia’s squad for the 1998 World Cup in France, in which he started all three of their group games, the gap of 15 years and 363 days between Mondragón’s successive appearances in the finals is still the longest a player has had to wait between two World Cup games.
Roger Milla (42 years, 39 days)
On June 12, 1994, Cameroon’s striker Roger Milla not only became the oldest player in the history of the World Cup showdown but also became the competition’s oldest goalscorer, a record he still holds.
The veteran marksman had already hung up his boots prior to the World Cup competition in Italy (1990), and it took the intervention of the president to persuade him back, where he caught the world’s attention with his goals and corner-flag celebrations and helped his country become the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 41 years, 132 days
Ronaldo might have seen his record of the second-oldest goal scorer snatched by Messi after the latter’s hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria.
He has, however, become the fourth-oldest player in the history of the World Cup following his appearance in Portugal’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup against DR Congo.
The Portuguese also holds the record of being the oldest outfield player to start a match in World Cup history and the second oldest when including goalkeepers, behind El Hadary.
Pat Jennings (41 years)
The Northern Ireland goalkeeping great celebrates his 41st birthday in style. He featured in a World Cup match for the final time in the clash against Brazil on June 12, 1986, setting a new mark for the oldest player to have done so at the time.
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