- ESPN+ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more (U.S.) He may have been born two full years before the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 and begun his professional football career in the same year as the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, but Japanese legend Miura is set to play on for at least another year after finding himself a new club. The title of the oldest footballer still active belongs to Robert Carmona. It took Carmona four years to gain this recognition. This came just four days after Sheringham became the Premier League's oldest goal scorer when he notched a consolation goal for the Hammers in a 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth, aged 40 years and 268 days -- a record that still stands to this day. In Japan, he played for Verdy Kawasaki, Kyoto Purple Sanga, and Vissel Kobe. 
AFCON kit rankings: Who has the best jersey in Cameroon? He played for fifteen clubs but gained worldwide fame during his stay at Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven. Leonardo: PSG have a chance to keep Mbappe, we will try everything, Ancelotti emerges as surprise candidate for Manchester United job, Thuram: Anyone who doesn't take the knee is denying the violence of racism, Impact of Russia-Ukraine conflict on sport: Football suspended, basketball games forced to go ahead, Details of Marc Overmars' Ajax scandal and his 'secret' nickname. He is best known for his performances at Middlesbrough and Fulham, as well as with the Australian national squad for which he played in 109 matches. Of individual honours, he won the Italian Silver ball, an award given for fair-play in 2009. He moved back to Brazil, to Flamengo for one season, before moving back to Europe, joining Bayer Leverkusen in 1998. Read on to find out. 
Totti won the Italian Cup two times and as well as the Super Cup. He moved to Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, playing in 596 matches and scoring 268 goals total, also having a brief season in Chelsea before returning to Bayern and winning the Champions League in the 2012/13 season. Next Stop for King Kazu: Suzukahttps://t.co/Kj5xgZonYW. Brazilian centre-back Hilton has played in French Ligue 1 for the most of his career. He played for a number of clubs in England and had a long run with Newcastle United where he was the first pick goalkeeper for twelve seasons. In 1992, he played at the 1992 Asian Cup, which Japan went on to win. Relegated from the J1 League after finishing bottom of the table in 2021, Yokohama were keen to keep "King Kazu" on board for another year as they prepare for life in the second tier. Known for his excellent dribbling skills, Denilson had a 17-year football career starting from Sao Paulo to Real Betis. 
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His personal achievements and honours present an incredibly long list, but lets name just a few: He didnt manage to achieve the status of a first-team regular at Real Madrid but still managed to perform fifteen times, winning the Spanish league and the UEFA Champions League in 1997/98 season. 
On the international stage, he won the Nations Cup with Ireland in 2011. Heres What You Need To Know, Why You Should Start Betting on Soccer Games. "I want my career to be a message to people. Nicknamed King Kazu, Miura is without a doubt, the oldest active professional player in the world. The younger Miura has spent the past 16 years of his career playing for Yokohama, celebrating both his 40th and 50th birthday with the club. Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./, 2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament, List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals, List of men's footballers with the most official appearances, "Boa Sorte Kazu! Even though he moved to Brazilian Santos in 2006/07 season, he returned to Bayern for two more seasons before moving to another German club, Hamburger. [13] On 15 January 1994, Miura assisted Antonio Manicone's match-winning goal against Padova. [citation needed], On 30 December 2021, it was reported that Miura had reached an agreement to join Suzuka Point Getters in the Japan Football League, the fourth tier of Japanese football. Drama in Morocco as Super Falcons boycott training after making demands from Nigeria Football Federation, Ukranian footballer emotionally recounts botched move to Liverpool in 2014, Kylian Mbappe: PSG superstar made face of EA Sports' FIFA 23, EPL winner Riyad Mahrez dropped as CAF names final three-man shortlist for Payer of the Year award, The best women's football team as of 2022 has been revealed, Fascinating facts about the top 15 most beautiful female athletes in 2022. Who are the greatest Premier League players of all time? [27] On 13 March 2022, Miura, at the age of 55, made his debut for Suzuka Point Getters, in the first round of the Japan Football League, which also resulted in a record crowd attraction.[28]. Carmona still counts the days until Sunday comes and he plays the next game in his career for his team Hacele Un Gol A La Vida, which is also a social project in the fourth tier of Uruguayan football. Includes other competitive competitions, including the. Pizzaro saved Werder from relegation during the 2015/16 season. He also played for Middlesbrough in the Championship. So, who are the worst defenders in football right now? Most people in an everyday job would be looking towards retirement by that age, and almost every footballer will long since have hung up their boots. who was 74 years and 125 days when he turned out for 6th of October FC. 
"I can't give an easy answer as to the secret for my longevity. Below are some of the frequently asked questions in relation to the oldest footballers in the world. 
Serie A giants offered Man United's Donny van de Beek in exchange for star midfielder, Police to the rescue as thousands of fans mob former Arsenal star Emmanuel Adebayor in Togo community, How Jose Mourinho is planning to lead AS Roma to Serie A title challenge and back to Champions League, Qatar's World Cup final stadium to host first match, 5 top footballers who beat cancer: Arjen Robben, Eric Abidal and other footballers who had cancer. Pizzaro has won 18 club trophies; 16 with Bayern Munich, and two with Werder. [34], Japanese oldest professional association footballer in the world, This article is about the footballer. Perhaps most impressively of all, he's never stopped playing, but even he's not sure how he's managed it. [16] In January 2017, Miura signed another new one-year contract with Yokohama, taking his professional career into his fifties. [15], In November 2015, Miura signed a new one-year contract with Yokohama FC at the age of 48. [19] Seven days later, he broke Matthews' record for oldest goalscorer in professional football when he struck the only goal of a 10 win over Thespakusatsu Gunma. "I'm a chosen one, a living legend. He has gathered world renown for his technique and finishing often creating goal opportunities for his teammates as well as scoring spectacular goals. He may not have featured much last year, but Miura did at least officially extend his own record as the J1 League's oldest-ever player, having taken to the pitch aged 54 years and 12 days when he made his only appearance of the campaign against Urawa Reds in March. He started his career in Porto and was part of the famous Porto squad which won the UEFA Champions League in 2003/04 season as complete outsiders. In 1997, Miura scored fourteen times for Japan during qualification for the 1998 World Cup, leading the Samurai Blue to their first ever World Cup finals. UEFA celebrates Lionel Messis outstanding records as Paris Saint Germain star turns 35. De Sanctis is mostly known for his stay at Udinese where he was a top quality goalkeeper and played for the club for eight seasons. He was the second-choice goalkeeper behind then injured Kasper Schmeichel. Next up is Bosnian striker Aleksandar Duric, who spent so long playing in Singapore that he eventually qualified to play for them at international level. Romario In 2010. he moved to Juventus as a backup for Gianluigi Buffon. 
He then proceeded to Juventus, but for three seasons played only three matches. By doing so, he surpassed the previous record of 42 years, 10 months set in 2017 by Yukio Tsuchiya. Aging in football is usually associated with a drop in physical capabilities, increasingly frequent and severe injuries, more family obligations, and a shift in a career focus or purpose in life. At Alianza, he helped the club make a title challenge but ultimately fell short. He has been a key player for the team in international games Like the 2006, 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2000, 2004 AFC Asian games, where he was named the most valuable player in 2004. "You need a strong conviction, to believe that dreams come true if you aim for something. All rights reserved. [4], His time in Brazil elevated him to star status and on his return to Japan, he joined the Japan Soccer League (JSL) side Yomiuri SC, which later spun off from its parent company Yomiuri Shinbun and became Verdy Kawasaki with the launch of the J1 League in 1993. Marco Storari is yet another soccer veteran coming from Italy. In my life there's no such thing as 'can't'. With John Terry, he formed the backbone of the Premiership winning Chelsea defence in 2004/05 season. Commonly referred to as 'Pele' on the Nigerian football scene, Rabiu has been with Kano Pillars since 2011, and before that, he had been with his boyhood club, Total Pillars, from 2005 to 2011. His rise coincided with the launch of the Japanese League J1 in 1993, which made him become the poster child of the League. In September 1990, Miura was named as part of the Japan squad for the 1990 Asian Games. .jpg)
For the businessman, see. Robert Carmona (in the orange shirt), football's oldest-ever player. During his lengthy career, he played for the most part for Italian Serie A clubs, starting at the small Pescara in 1994. Arsenal or Spurs? Currently, Carvalho is playing for the Chinese club Shanghai SIPG. With Italy, he won the World Cup in 2006. His professional career started in 1992. Schalke FC savagely respond to claims Sadio Mane is the biggest Bundesliga transfer in history. Here I am 40 years later playing and stronger than ever, thank God.". 
[4] He signed with the youth squad of So Paulo side Juventus, and in 1986, Miura signed his first professional contract with Santos. Another veteran goalkeeper from Ireland and a member of the FIFA Century Club for players who have gathered 100 international caps for their countries. 
This Japanese ex-Celtic star began playing football at the impressive age of five. He is a third-choice goalkeeper for Cagliari. His performances at Padova and San Marino gained him prominence to move back to the Serie A by joining Bologna, and after Bologna, Triestina, Napoli and Cagliari. There are six outfielders who feature in the Top 10 of oldest footballers to have appeared in a competitive professional division, with Sheringham actually being the youngest. He was named the first J.League Most Valuable Player in 1993. Ricardo Carvalho; 38 years 11 months 29 days. Two good seasons put the spotlight on him and soon Pizzaro was sold to German side Werder Bremen. [4][5][6] Miura, whose rise to fame in Japan coincided with the launch of the J.League in 1993, was arguably Japan's first superstar in football. Veteran keeper Italy, Roberto Colombo currently plays for Cagliari FC in the Italian Serie A. The King of Rome, the legendary Italian player spent his entire career at AS Roma. Starting for us on this list is the Iranian football legend who made over 100 caps for his National team, Iran or team Meli as they are referred to, before announcing that he was retiring from international football in 2018. Until recently, everyone believed that Kazuyoshi was the oldest footballer until the Uruguayan was recognized as the oldest by Guinness world records. His career clocks in at an impressive 45 active years, with 30 clubs on his CV and around 2,200 official games played. Based on several credible online publications, we have compiled a list of the top 10 oldest footballers in 2022. [citation needed], In 2005, Miura signed for Yokohama FC in 2005. 9. Carmona spent most of his career as a midfield playmaker, but since passing the milestone of 40 he has moved back into the centre of defence. Mark Schwarzer finished his professional career at the age of 42 in Leicester City. [26], On 23 September 2020, he started in the J1 League match against Kawasaki Frontale and in doing so became the oldest player to take to the pitch in a J1 League match and the oldest player ever in a football match in the highest national division worldwide. He is known as one of the most distinctive centre-backs of the last decade, famous for his tenacity and intelligence on the pitch. - Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only) "In my case, I've been playing without interruption since I began my professional career in 1976. The winger began in the Brazilian team Portuguesa before moving to the Spanish giant Real Madrid. Professionalism, willpower, hard work and love for the noble sport that is soccer in the particular cases of these players and masters of the game surpasses the negative effects of the advancing age on their body and soul. Museum Profile Personal Data", "Boa Sorte Kazu! After 45 years playing, you might think he'd achieved all his dreams, but he still has ambitions. Who are the worst defenders in football in 2022? He managed to perform at the top international level for the national team of Japan in 89 matches scoring incredible 55 goals. ", "Kazuyoshi Miura scores at 50 to beat Sir Stanley Matthews' record", "Kazuyoshi Miura: The Japan legend still going strong after 50", "Kazuyoshi Miura: Japanese striker signs new deal at 50", "King Kazu has that #FridayFeeling he's just signed another professional contract, aged 51", "Kazuyoshi Miura: Japanese striker, 52, signs new Yokohama FC contract", "Kazuyoshi Miura signs contract to play past 54th birthday in Japan's top flight", "Football: 53-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura sets league cup age record", "54-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura set to play for fourth-tier club Suzuka", "SOCCER/ 'King Kazu' returns to pitch at 55, attracts record crowd", "Kazuyoshi Miura, King of Asian Football", "MIURA Kazuyoshi - Japan National Football Team Database", "Soccer: King Kazu Debuts For Japan Futsal Team In Draw With Brazil", "Kazu marks first futsal goal in win over Ukraine", "Soccer has no expiration date for Kazuyoshi Miura - LatinAmerican Post", "King Kazu Once a Player, Always a Player | Japan Zone", "Japan - K. Miura - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway", "Kazuyoshi "Kazu" Miura Goals in International Matches", 199091 Japan Soccer League Team of the Year, 199192 Japan Soccer League Team of the Year, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kazuyoshi_Miura&oldid=1099077048, Association football people from Shizuoka Prefecture, Esporte Clube XV de Novembro (Ja) players, Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Brazil, Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Italy, Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Croatia, Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Australia, Articles with dead external links from August 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, CS1 Brazilian Portuguese-language sources (pt-br), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2022, Articles with Portuguese-language sources (pt), Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja), Pages using national squad without sport or team link, Pages using national squad without comp link, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 06:08, 22 June 2022 (UTC), This page was last edited on 18 July 2022, at 22:07. Yet, with the global average retirement age for a football player pegged at around 35 years, most players usually struggle with retirement. I became the oldest active player in the world and I'll keep going. [11], In 1982, Miura left the Shizuoka Gakuen High School after less than a year, and travelled alone to Brazil at the age of fifteen to become a professional footballer there. And that, 45 seasons on, feels pretty special. "In football history, there have been maybe 10 or 15 old players, but most of them stopped playing and then joined some club years later," said Carmona. 
It's a club where Robert Carmona uses talent as a footballer to help those less fortunate. He began his professional career in AC Milan in Serie A and has played for Valdagno, Fiorenzuola, Solbiatese, Monza, San Marino (club) and Padova in the lower Italian leagues. [29] Despite this, Miura was controversially left out of the squad. De Sanctis joined Napoli and after four years as Napoli top-choice goalkeeper, he moved to title-contenders AS Roma gathering 71 appearances for the club. Hes made his name across major Italian clubs and established himself as one of the best players in the world for the goalkeeping position, most notably at Juventus, where he played for 17 years. Mexican clubs' amazing wrestling-inspired kits. At Bayern, he was part of the successful team that won numerous Bundesliga titles, the German League cup, 2000-01 UEFA Champions League, and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup. He also played for Qatari Al-Gharafa and Brazilian Gremio. He joined Montpellier HSC and proceeded to win La Ligue again in 2011/12 season. Matthews' record stood for 56 years until Kazuyoshi Miura claimed it and then repeatedly broke it with every subsequent appearance he made, and continues to make as he approaches his 55th birthday. I feel like a 25-year-old. 
He won two club trophies: Turkish Super Cup in 2008. and the Italian Cup with Napoli in 2012. In 1993, in the 1994 World Cup qualification, he played thirteen games and scored thirteen goals. Indeed, the former Barcelona midfielder clocked up the final competitive appearance of his career for Brazilian club Mogi Mirim at the age of 43 years and 117 days. Amazingly enough, Miura was only a mere 11 years older than the next most senior player in Yokohama's squad, with 43-year-old Shunsuke Nakamura (once of Celtic) ably serving as his junior. Eventually, their ambassadors visited Uruguay to present him with his certificate. Sportsbrief.com recently did a global ranking of some of the worst defenders in football, in 2022. Great games at Bayer catapulted him to fame, and after 113 appearances, he moved to their bitter rival Bayern Munich. With the rigours on their body comparatively lesser, goalkeepers tend to fare better when it comes to extended careers but there are several exceptional instances of outfield players carrying on well into their footballing dotage. Kazuyoshi Miura is still going at 54; here are the world's oldest players, Arsenal's Xhaka sets a few more things straight in ESPN interview, Lewandowski completes Barca move from Bayern, Raphinha scores, Barca trounce MLS side Inter Miami, Born for big moments: Andonovski lauds Morgan, Sources: City 20m apart on Cucurella valuation, Messi scores in PSG's 2-1 win over Kawasaki, Sources: MLS out as Lingard mulls Prem options, Dybala joins Mourinho's Roma on free transfer, Berhalter: Brooks needs to fit into game model, Spain need to be Spain, not try to be Barcelona, Why Chelsea's move to sign Koulibaly could get them back in title race, LIVE Transfer Talk: Bayern's busy summer continues as Leipzig's Laimer on radar, Transfer grades: Barcelona an A for Lewandowski.