Who is the oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is the oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history?")
Roger Milla Photograph: (AFP)
Roger Milla remains the oldest player ever to score in a men’s FIFA World Cup match. He set the record at the 1994 World Cup in the United States when he scored against Russia at the age of 42 years and 39 days.
Football, especially at the FIFA World Cup, is usually dominated by younger players. Most outfield footballers reach their best form in their late 20s or early 30s and by their mid-30s many are no longer at their peak. As a result, players older than 35 are rarely seen making a major impact on the biggest stage of the sport. However, a few exceptional players have proven that age is not always a barrier. Two notable examples are Cameroon’s Roger Milla and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who both achieved remarkable World Cup milestones later in their careers.
Roger Milla remains the oldest player ever to score in a men’s FIFA World Cup match. He set the record at the 1994 World Cup in the United States when he scored against Russia at the age of 42 years and 39 days.
After making his international debut in 1973, he retired from Cameroon’s football team in 1987 at age 35 following a successful 15-year career. He had represented Cameroon at the 1982 World Cup and came close to scoring against Peru, but the goal was ruled out.
Although he believed his chance to score at a World Cup had passed, but after Cameroon qualified for the 1990 World Cup, then-President Paul Biya personally encouraged Milla to return to the national team. Accepting the challenge, Milla made a memorable comeback.
At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, he scored four goals as a substitute and helped Cameroon reach the quarter-finals, the best performance by an African team in the tournament at that time.
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He scored twice against Romania in the group stage and added another two goals against Colombia in the Round of 16. At 38 years and 34 days old, he became the oldest World Cup goalscorer, a record he later extended in 1994.
In the 1994 tournament, Milla scored Cameroon’s only goal in a 6-1 loss to Russia, further improving his own record as the oldest scorer in World Cup history. He is also the oldest outfield player ever to appear in a World Cup match.
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Roger Milla Photograph: (AFP)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo later became the second-oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup. He achieved the feat in 2026, scoring against Uzbekistan at the age of 41 years and 138 days. During that match, Ronaldo also surpassed Eusebio’s World Cup goal tally and became Portugal’s highest goalscorer in World Cup history.
The achievements of Roger Milla and Cristiano Ronaldo show that while football is often considered a young player’s game, exceptional talent, fitness and determination can allow some players to shine even in the later stages of their careers.
Oldest men’s goalscorers in FIFA World Cup history
- Roger Milla (Cameroon) - 42 years, 39 days (1994 vs Russia)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 41 years, 138 days (2026 vs Uzbekistan)
- Pepe (Portugal) - 39 years, 283 days (2022 vs Switzerland)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 38 years, 363 days (2026 vs Austria)
- Gunnar Gren (Sweden) - 37 years, 236 days (1928 vs West Germany)
