The English Premier League contains a clash of young, naturally talented, and seasoned veterans. Eventually, there reaches a point when players are too old to keep up with the physically taxing sport, but many fight off their retirement with football savvy.
Who are the Oldest Players in the Premier League
This experience coupled with exceptional endurance makes some players’ careers survive well into their 30s and 40s on occasion. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the oldest players in the Premier League now and over time.
Kickin’ It Well Into Their 30s
Julián Speroni will forever hold a special place in Crystal Palace fans’ hearts, as he played an integral role in aiding the team’s ascent to the Premier League. Although he has largely been fazed out of playing time, the Argentinian has racked up four Player of the Year awards.
October 15 may not be a memorable date for all Premier League viewers, but Crystal Palace fans should recall their match versus Chelsea. Speroni, the longtime fan favorite goalkeeper, found himself making his first appearance of the season, in place of the injured Wayne Hennessey. Speroni’s appearance was not merely significant due to his age – it also resulted in a 2-1 victory.
38y 149d – Julian Speroni is the second oldest player to make an @premierleague appearance for Crystal Palace after Kevin Phillips. Vintage. pic.twitter.com/MD54OU1bJD
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 14, 2017
Gareth McAuley is currently the second oldest player in the league. The Northern Irishman missed time at the beginning of the 2017 season due to a thigh injury, but McAuley has since managed to return to action.
The third oldest player is another goalkeeper: Huddersfield Town’s Rob Green. Green is a seasoned veteran with over 260 career Premier League appearances, and was a new addition to Huddersfield in August 2017.
Next on the list is Artur Boruc, who has shined across a handful of European countries. His career began as a standout goalkeeper in Poland, but he later moved on to Celtic FC and won three championships with the club. Boruc then transitioned to Serie A, playing for Fiorentina for a couple of seasons. The keeper’s Premier League career began once he was picked up by Southampton and later made his way to his current squad, AFC Bournemouth. Similar to Speroni’s impact on Crystal Palace, Boruc helped Bournemouth debut in the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history.
Bruno, the 37-year-old Catalan right-back, rounds out the top five oldest Premier League players. The Spaniard’s run of 74 consecutive league starts may have come to an end in 2017, but he helped the Seagulls secure their Premier League debut.
Put Me In, Coach
While remaining on a Premier League squad into one’s late 30s is quite an accomplishment, it’s even more impressive to make an in-game appearance.
Goalkeeper John Burridge is the only 43-year-old to ever appear in a Premier League match, but his Manchester City squad suffered a defeat to Queens Park Rangers.
The second and third oldest player appearances belong to a pair of 42-year-olds: Alec Chamberlain and Steve Ogrizovic. Chamberlain and Ogrizovic are both goalkeepers as well and led their squads to a draw and victory in their respective matches.
The Oldest Pros in the League
While the top end of this list may look familiar to the first graphic, there are some additional notable names.
Arsenal’s goalkeeper Petr Čech stands out among the list. Čech’s storied Premier League career includes a Golden Glove award and his place as the all-time clean sheet leader in league history. While Čech may not be in prime form, he remains the starting keeper for Arsenal, which is a feat in itself.
The youngest oldest player is Liverpool’s Ragnar Klavan. Klavan does not have nearly the resume that Čech does, but he did garner widespread coverage not too long ago. He did so by displaying some unique skill in Liverpool’s victory over Huddersfield:
Extremely Zoolander from Ragnar Klavan yesterday. pic.twitter.com/dbU6mF4CHj
— Mundial Magazine (@MundialMag) October 29, 2017
Represent Your Favorite Veteran
Regardless of which club you support, it’s impossible to ignore these athletes’ world-class endurance and skill. If these players can keep on trotting onto the pitch, you should continue to support them by wearing their official gear, available at Fanatics.com
Top 5 oldest players in the Premier League
- Julián Speroni
- Gareth McAuley
- Rob Green
- Artur Boruc
- Bruno Saltor Grau
Sources
- https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/arsenal-team-roster
- https://www.premierleague.com/
- https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/juengsteaelteste/wettbewerb/GB1
- https://www.cpfc.co.uk/teams/first-team/goalkeeper/julian-speroni/
- https://www.si.com/soccer/2017/10/15/julian-speroni-admits-he-missed-playing-after-return-crystal-palace-side-against-chelsea
- https://www.premierleague.com/players/4437/Gareth-McAuley/stats?co=1&se=79
- https://www.afcb.co.uk/teams/first-team/artur-boruc
- https://www.premierleague.com/players/2758/Robert-Green/stats
- https://www.htafc.com/teams/first-team/goalkeeper/robert-green2/
- https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/teams/first-team/defender/bruno/
- https://www.arsenal.com/arsenal/players/petr-cech
- http://www.givemesport.com/1181487-liverpool-fans-love-ragnar-klavans-pointless-piece-of-skill-v-huddersfield
- http://www.rotoworld.com/teams/depth-charts/bpl.aspx
- https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/artur-boruc-player-stats
- https://www.google.com/search?q=liverpool+vs+huddersfield&oq=Liverpool+vs+Hudder&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.3127j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#sie=m;/x/374wyxmxxv580;2;/m/02_tc;dt;fp;1
