Who are the oldest footballers who have participated in a Euro Cup? Cristiano wants to make history

The Eurocup is one of the most important international tournaments in the world, the best European teams compete to have continental glory and there we can enjoy many of the best footballers in the world and not only that, but we can witness the emergence of new promises, young revelations and mature footballers who manage to exploit their potential.

This 2024 we will have one more edition in Germany between June 14 and July 14, 2024, so prior to that we will tell you about the oldest footballers who have left their mark in the competition.

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Gabor Kiraly

'The Pajama Man', Kiraly He is the only player over 40 years old who has played in a European Championship. The exporter of Cyrstal Palace He helped unprepossessing Hungary reach the round of 16 in the 2016 edition, where they lost 4-0 to Belgium.

His peculiar pants made him a football icon around the world, but it is the record for the oldest player in the Euro that secures Kiraly's place in the history books.

Lothar Matthäus

Matthaus He marked the history books in unfortunate fashion when his te
am lost 3-0 to Portugal in 2000. The match was the Bayern and Germany legend's 150th and last for his nation, having enjoyed a long and storied career. international.

He captained West Germany to their 1990 World Cup triumph and subsequently received the Ballon d'Or and was named the first FIFA World Player of the Year. However, Euro 2000 was disastrous for him and Germany, as they finished fourth in the group stage, behind Portugal, Romania and England.

Morten Olsen

Danish football owes a great debt to Olsen for his wonderful service as a player and as a coach. He trained the By Rod-Hvide for 15 years after his retirement as a player, which ended shortly after his appearance in the 1988 Euro finals.

An impressive 1986 World Cup meant hopes were high that year, but the Danes bowed out early with defeats to Spain, West Germany and Italy.

The five oldest players in the history of the Euro Cup

1. Gabor Kiraly (Hungary) – 40 years and 86 days – Euro 2016.
2. Lothar Matthaeus (Germany) – 39 years and 92 days – Euro 2000.
3. Morten Olsen (Denmark) – 38 years and 308 days – Euro 1988.
4. Maarten Stekelenburg (Netherlands) – 38 years and 279 days – Euro 2020.
5. Peter Shilton (England) – 38 years and 271 days – Euro 1988.

Lee Casciaro

A one-club man breaking an international record is what dreams are made of. The legend of the Lincoln Red Imps, Casciarocame on as a substitute for Gibraltar in Greece's 3-0 defeat in March 2023 to make history as the oldest player in Euro qualifiers.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The same night that Casciaro made his record appearance, Zlatan Ibrahimovic He became the second oldest player to participate in a European Championship qualifying match. Like Casciarothe 41-year-old man entered as a substitute.

The 'Swedish giant' had a brilliant career at club level and internationally he did the best for Sweden. He hung up his boots in 2023.

Dino Zoff

Casciaro surpassed the record previously set by the legendary goalkeeper Dino Zoffwho was 41 years and 90 days old when he made his then-record appearance for Italy.

The record set by the beloved Italian stood for 40 years, with the record coming in a match in 1983.

The five oldest players in the history of European Championship qualification

1. Lee Casciaro (Gibraltar) – 41 years and 176 days – 2023.
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) – 41 years and 172 d
   ays – 2023.
3. Dino Zoff (Italy) – 41 years and 90 days – 1983.
4. Mario Flick (Liechtenstein) – 41 years and 35 days – 2015.
5. Jakub Mikkelssen (Faroe Islands) – 40 years and 359 days – 2011.

Ivica Vastic

Ivica Vasticscored his fourteenth and final international goal to become an esteemed record.

In his 50th cap for Austria, he scored his team's first goal at the European Championship and became the competition's oldest goalscorer with one last gasp: a penalty against Poland in 2008.

Goran Pandev

Pandev scored at Euro 2021 to become the second-oldest goalscorer in the history of the competition.

The North Macedonia striker had a good career and won the UEFA Champions League with Inter in 2010.

Zoltan Gera

At Euro 2016, Zoltan Gera He received the Goal of the Tournament award thanks to a wonderful goal against Portugal, the team that ended up being the winner. That achievement made him the oldest goalscorer in Euro Cup history.

The five oldest scorers in the history of the Euro Cup

1. Ivica Vastic (Austria) – 38 years and 257 days – Euro 2008.
2. Goran Pandev (North Macedonia) – 37 years and 322 days – Euro 2020.
3. Zoltan Gera (Hungary) – 38 years and 62 days – Euro 2016.
4. Gareth McAuley (Northern Ireland) – 36 years and 194 days – Euro 2016.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 36 years and 138 days – Euro 2020.