5 Oldest Scorers At Wolrd Cup: Ronaldo Is On The List, But Not The Oldest

Since the 2022 FIFA World Cup has officially kicked off, we thought it would be amusing to look back at some of the most memorable moments from prior tournaments and update them accordingly.
Football is a wonderful game, and the World Cup is a celebration. In nearly every iteration of the quadrennial tournament, there will be records, goals, and moments that elevate humans to the rank of demigods. We have chosen to examine some of these records, leaving one wondering whether the players were indeed human. We take a look at the five oldest World Cup goal scorers.

1. Felipe Baloy Within 37 years, 120 days (2018)

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Panama qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2018. The Central American nation qualified for the World Cup in Russia ahead of the United States. Defying the odds at the competition was a long shot. They had to compete with Belgium and England in a tough group. While Panama lost to England, Felipe Baloy scored the country's first World Cup goal.
Although the Three Lions won the match 6-1, the defender will never forget that goal. Baloy is the oldest player in World Cup history to score on his tournament debut (9 minutes after entering the game as a substitute). He also holds the record as the fourth-oldest player to score in World Cup history.

2. Cuauhtémoc Blanco Within 37 years, 151 days (2010)

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Somehow, the average Mexican life expectancy is higher than those of other nationalities. Two Mexicans are among the four players in history to appear in every World Cup. Andres Guardado and Guillermo Ochoa will keep Mexico's representation at 50% in the club of nations with at least five World Cup triumphs after Qatar 2022, bringing the total to eight.
Cuauhtémoc Blanco became the first Mexican to score in three World Cup tournaments. However, he fell short of the record. In 2010, at 40, he became the third-oldest player to score a goal at a World Cup when he converted a penalty kick against France.

3. Gunnar Gren Within 37 years, 236 days (1958)

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Sweden hosted the World Cup in 1958 and advanced to the championship game when they were defeated by a Brazilian team that included a teenage Pele. Against West Germany in the semi-finals, Gunnar Gren started and scored a goal, paving the way for Sweden to advance to the final. After Sweden's thrilling 3-1 comeback triumph, Gren was selected to the World Cup's All-Star team.
The tournament concluded, and the former AC Milan forward promptly announced his retirement from international football. In October 1958, he made his last appearance for his country in a match against Denmark. Before his retirement, he scored 32 goals in 58 games, leaving only four players in Swedish history with more. To join Gren on the list of the oldest goal scorers in World Cup history took anyone else 64 years.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo Within 37 years 295 days

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Given Ronaldo's recent goal-scoring streak, whatever goal he scores will likely set a new benchmark. He scored a goal in the opening game of the group stage of World Cup 2022, making him the second-oldest player to ever score in a World Cup tournament. Once held by Sweden's Gunnar Gren, who was 37 years and 236 days old when he scored in a 1958 FIFA World Cup semifinal match against West Germany, the former Manchester United attacker surpassed that mark.
Right now, Ronaldo has a chance to put things right. After an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he claimed that his old club, Manchester United, had "betrayed" him, Cristiano Ronaldo has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The 37-year-old will try to prove his worth to a club after the World Cup ends by citing his goal in Portugal's opening match against Ghana.

5. Roger Milla Within 42 years, 39 days (1994)

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To help his team in Italia '90, the seasoned Cameroonian forward Roger Milla was enticed out of retirement. He swiftly scored and danced his way into World Cup mythology. After scoring four goals, the 38-year-old became one of the tournament's breakthrough stars, and his distinctive celebration dance around the corner flag became a symbol of the 1990 World Cup. The two goals scored by Milla sent Cameroon into the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time by an African team.
Milla was honored for his outstanding performance by being named African Footballer of the Year for the second time, an astonishing 14 years after winning the award. But he wasn't content, so four years later, he returned to the World Cup and set a new record.