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10 internationals to have played after their 40th birthday
We take a look at who maintained their health and fitness beyond 40
2 Sep 2010 16:18:00
By Peter Staunton
David Weir has been recalled to the Scotland squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers at the age of 40 to join an elite band of veterans to represent their nations past their 40th birthday.
Billy Meredith - Wales
The original 'Welsh Wizard' is credited as being British football's first superstar. He played as an outside forward and was famous for taking to the field while chewing tobacco and later, a toothpick. Meredith represented Manchester City and Manchester United with distinction during a 30-year spell in the city, beginning in 1894. He attempted to start an English football trade union and also was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal while at City. It was alleged that he offered an Aston Villa player the sum of £10 to throw a game and the episode threatened to overshadow his legacy as an early great. On the international front he amassed almost half a century worth of caps for the Dragons, the last of which came on March 15, 1920 when he played at Highbury against England at the age of 45.
Stanley Matthews - England
The 'Wizard of Dribble' enjoyed an international career which spanned 23 years, from his debut in September 1934 to his farewell match in May 1957, making him the oldest player ever to represent England. The game ended in ignominious circumstances as the Three Lions went down 4-1 to Denmark in Copenhagen. A true legend of the English game, Matthews is revered by fans of Stoke City and Blackpool, the clubs for which he played between 1932 and 1965 and was renowned for his gentleman's etiquette. Indeed, over 700 league games he was never booked. He won a solitary FA Cup during his playing days and was the recipient of the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 1956. Matthews also helped to foster the game in Africa, coaching a team called Stan's Men in Soweto during his retirement and featuring for a Nigeria XI in Lagos in 1957.
Angel Labruna - Argentina
River Plate's all-time top goalscorer with 293 strikes, Angel Labruna is fondly remembered in his homeland as one of the finest marksmen ever to have played the game. He experienced an international career spanning 16 years but, due to World War II and Argentina's non-participation in 1950 and 1954, only featured at one World Cup tournament. That came at the age of 40 in Sweden, when la Albiceleste finished bottom of a group containing West Germany, Northern Ireland and Czechoslovakia. Infamously, the side chose to return to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, rather than face the wrath of Argentina fans at the airport in Buenos Aires.
Dino Zoff - Italy
Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning captain made his debut for the Azzurri in 1968 and continued playing internationally until one year after the Spanish triumph. He led his side to glory aged 40, making him the oldest player ever to win the tournament and was praised by manager Enzo Bearzot for his calm assuredness and sportsmanship. Zoff is best remembered at club level for his exploits at Juventus, winning six Serie A titles, although he also had a long spell at Napoli. Named the third best goalkeeper of the 20th century, Zoff once went 1174 minutes without conceding a goal for la Nazionale. He entered coaching after his playing career ended, winning a UEFA Cup with Juve and taking Italy to the final of Euro 2000.
Pat Jennings - Northern Ireland
Another goalkeeper who played into his fifth decade, Jennings will go down as one of Northern Ireland's finest ever players and he remains to this day their most capped. From the border town of Newry, he was one of the most high profile players to make the move across North London from Tottenham to Arsenal and his longevity surprised those at the Lane, who had believed his best days were behind him. Such was his importance to the national team and the high regard in which he was still held at Tottenham, he would train with Spurs after his career had ended, in order to remain sharp for the 1986 World Cup, Northern Ireland's third and most recent appearance. He made his final appearance in Mexico against Brazil on his 41st birthday. Although he is fondly remembered for his goal in the 1967 Charity Shield, his finest moment was keeping a clean sheet as Northern Ireland shocked host nation Spain in a never to be forgotten 1-0 victory in Valencia.
Peter Shilton - England
The two-time European Cup winner has been immortalised as Diego Maradona's fall-guy for his infamous 'Hand of God' goal during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final. Shilton is England's all-time caps record holder, with 125 appearances to his name, playing at the 1982, 1986 and 1990 World Cups. He finished his international career at the third-place play-off in Bari against Italy at the age of 40, but played a further seven years at club level before retiring with over 1000 matches to his name. His England career lasted from 1970 to 1990, almost a generation's worth of goalkeeping. His career, in total, went from 1966 to 1997 and included almost every honour the game had to offer at Leicester City and later, at Nottingham Forest, under Brian Clough.
Roger Milla - Cameroon
An emergency call from Cameroon president Paul Biya convinced Milla to come out of retirement at the age of 38 and lead the Indomitable Lions to the 1990 World Cup. The former African footballer of the year did not disappoint, scoring four goals and setting the trend for extravagant goal celebrations as Cameroon went all the way to the quarter-finals, still the furthest an African team has been at the showpiece event. Amazingly, Milla was back four years later, aged 42, to compete at USA becoming the oldest World Cup player in history. His close-range goal against Russia gave him another record, the oldest scorer at the finals.
MacDonald Taylor - US Virgin Islands
The most capped player in the history of the US Virgin Islands is registered as the oldest player ever to feature in a competitive international. Aged 46 and 217 days, Taylor lined-up against St Kitts and Nevis in a 2006 World Cup qualifier on March 31, 2004. Unfortunately for him, the game resulted in a 7-0 drubbing for the away side. US Virgin Islands have not had much success on the footballing stage; their top scorer, Kevin Sheppard, has two goals to his name and left to pursue a basketball career in Iran.
Hossam Hassan - Egypt
Egypt's record caps-holder and record goalscorer, Hassan netted 83 times from 170 international matches over the course of a 21-year international career. The striker called time on his playing days in 2006 following a third Africa Cup of Nations triumph, on home soil, against Cote D'Ivoire. At that stage he had passed his 40th birthday and was co-captain of the team alongside Ahmed Hassan. His first continental win came in 1986 and Hassan also represented his country at the 1990 World Cup. At club level, he accrued a glut of honours with Al Ahly and later rivals Zamalek, the club he now coaches.
Kalusha Bwalya - Zambia
The Cercle Brugge legend led Zambia to second place at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations less than a year after the entire Chipolopolo squad perished in an air crash off the Gabon coast ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Senegal. Bwalya had made his own plans to travel to the fixture as he was playing with PSV Eindhoven in Europe at the time and took a group of untried team-mates to a 2-1 defeat against Nigeria in Tunisia. Kalusha was the player-coach for a sequence of matches in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup and came off the bench to sink Liberia with a late-free kick in Lusaka, aged 41. A true great of the African game, Kalusha is the serving president of the Zambian FA.
Billy Meredith - Wales
The original 'Welsh Wizard' is credited as being British football's first superstar. He played as an outside forward and was famous for taking to the field while chewing tobacco and later, a toothpick. Meredith represented Manchester City and Manchester United with distinction during a 30-year spell in the city, beginning in 1894. He attempted to start an English football trade union and also was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal while at City. It was alleged that he offered an Aston Villa player the sum of £10 to throw a game and the episode threatened to overshadow his legacy as an early great. On the international front he amassed almost half a century worth of caps for the Dragons, the last of which came on March 15, 1920 when he played at Highbury against England at the age of 45.
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Stanley Matthews - England
The 'Wizard of Dribble' enjoyed an international career which spanned 23 years, from his debut in September 1934 to his farewell match in May 1957, making him the oldest player ever to represent England. The game ended in ignominious circumstances as the Three Lions went down 4-1 to Denmark in Copenhagen. A true legend of the English game, Matthews is revered by fans of Stoke City and Blackpool, the clubs for which he played between 1932 and 1965 and was renowned for his gentleman's etiquette. Indeed, over 700 league games he was never booked. He won a solitary FA Cup during his playing days and was the recipient of the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 1956. Matthews also helped to foster the game in Africa, coaching a team called Stan's Men in Soweto during his retirement and featuring for a Nigeria XI in Lagos in 1957.Angel Labruna - Argentina
River Plate's all-time top goalscorer with 293 strikes, Angel Labruna is fondly remembered in his homeland as one of the finest marksmen ever to have played the game. He experienced an international career spanning 16 years but, due to World War II and Argentina's non-participation in 1950 and 1954, only featured at one World Cup tournament. That came at the age of 40 in Sweden, when la Albiceleste finished bottom of a group containing West Germany, Northern Ireland and Czechoslovakia. Infamously, the side chose to return to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, rather than face the wrath of Argentina fans at the airport in Buenos Aires.
Dino Zoff - Italy
Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning captain made his debut for the Azzurri in 1968 and continued playing internationally until one year after the Spanish triumph. He led his side to glory aged 40, making him the oldest player ever to win the tournament and was praised by manager Enzo Bearzot for his calm assuredness and sportsmanship. Zoff is best remembered at club level for his exploits at Juventus, winning six Serie A titles, although he also had a long spell at Napoli. Named the third best goalkeeper of the 20th century, Zoff once went 1174 minutes without conceding a goal for la Nazionale. He entered coaching after his playing career ended, winning a UEFA Cup with Juve and taking Italy to the final of Euro 2000. Pat Jennings - Northern Ireland
Another goalkeeper who played into his fifth decade, Jennings will go down as one of Northern Ireland's finest ever players and he remains to this day their most capped. From the border town of Newry, he was one of the most high profile players to make the move across North London from Tottenham to Arsenal and his longevity surprised those at the Lane, who had believed his best days were behind him. Such was his importance to the national team and the high regard in which he was still held at Tottenham, he would train with Spurs after his career had ended, in order to remain sharp for the 1986 World Cup, Northern Ireland's third and most recent appearance. He made his final appearance in Mexico against Brazil on his 41st birthday. Although he is fondly remembered for his goal in the 1967 Charity Shield, his finest moment was keeping a clean sheet as Northern Ireland shocked host nation Spain in a never to be forgotten 1-0 victory in Valencia.
Peter Shilton - England
The two-time European Cup winner has been immortalised as Diego Maradona's fall-guy for his infamous 'Hand of God' goal during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final. Shilton is England's all-time caps record holder, with 125 appearances to his name, playing at the 1982, 1986 and 1990 World Cups. He finished his international career at the third-place play-off in Bari against Italy at the age of 40, but played a further seven years at club level before retiring with over 1000 matches to his name. His England career lasted from 1970 to 1990, almost a generation's worth of goalkeeping. His career, in total, went from 1966 to 1997 and included almost every honour the game had to offer at Leicester City and later, at Nottingham Forest, under Brian Clough. Roger Milla - Cameroon
An emergency call from Cameroon president Paul Biya convinced Milla to come out of retirement at the age of 38 and lead the Indomitable Lions to the 1990 World Cup. The former African footballer of the year did not disappoint, scoring four goals and setting the trend for extravagant goal celebrations as Cameroon went all the way to the quarter-finals, still the furthest an African team has been at the showpiece event. Amazingly, Milla was back four years later, aged 42, to compete at USA becoming the oldest World Cup player in history. His close-range goal against Russia gave him another record, the oldest scorer at the finals. MacDonald Taylor - US Virgin Islands
The most capped player in the history of the US Virgin Islands is registered as the oldest player ever to feature in a competitive international. Aged 46 and 217 days, Taylor lined-up against St Kitts and Nevis in a 2006 World Cup qualifier on March 31, 2004. Unfortunately for him, the game resulted in a 7-0 drubbing for the away side. US Virgin Islands have not had much success on the footballing stage; their top scorer, Kevin Sheppard, has two goals to his name and left to pursue a basketball career in Iran.
Hossam Hassan - Egypt
Egypt's record caps-holder and record goalscorer, Hassan netted 83 times from 170 international matches over the course of a 21-year international career. The striker called time on his playing days in 2006 following a third Africa Cup of Nations triumph, on home soil, against Cote D'Ivoire. At that stage he had passed his 40th birthday and was co-captain of the team alongside Ahmed Hassan. His first continental win came in 1986 and Hassan also represented his country at the 1990 World Cup. At club level, he accrued a glut of honours with Al Ahly and later rivals Zamalek, the club he now coaches. Kalusha Bwalya - Zambia
The Cercle Brugge legend led Zambia to second place at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations less than a year after the entire Chipolopolo squad perished in an air crash off the Gabon coast ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Senegal. Bwalya had made his own plans to travel to the fixture as he was playing with PSV Eindhoven in Europe at the time and took a group of untried team-mates to a 2-1 defeat against Nigeria in Tunisia. Kalusha was the player-coach for a sequence of matches in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup and came off the bench to sink Liberia with a late-free kick in Lusaka, aged 41. A true great of the African game, Kalusha is the serving president of the Zambian FA.
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