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The record for being the oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history belongs to Roger Milla. The Cameroonian was 42 years and 39 days old when he scored against Russia in 1994.
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes 2nd oldest player to score in FIFA World Cup. (Picture Credit: AP)
Cristiano Ronaldo is leading Portugal at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and he needed just six minutes on Tuesday (June 23) to score his first goal of this year’s tournament. In Portugal’s second Group K match against Uzbekistan at NRG Stadium in Houston, Ronaldo opened his account for the competition. The goal helped him enter the record books as the second-oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup match.
The record for being the oldest goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history belongs to Roger Milla. The Cameroonian legend was 42 years and 39 days old when he scored against Russia in a group-stage match at the FIFA World Cup 1994.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, is 41 years and 138 days old as of June 23, 2026.
Oldest goal scorers in FIFA World Cup
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | AGE | AGAINST | YEAR |
| Roger Milla | Cameroon | 42 years, 39 days | Russia | 1994 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 41 years, 138 days | Uzbekistan | 2026 |
| Pepe | Portugal | 39 years, 283 days | Switzerland | 2022 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 38 years, 363 days | Austria | 2026 |
| Gunnar Gren | Sweden | 37 years, 236 days | West Germany | 1958 |
| Cuauhtemoc Blanco | Mexico | 37 years, 151 days | France | 2010 |
| Felipe Baloy | Panama | 37 years, 120 days | England | 2018 |
| Marko Arnautovic | Austria | 37 years, 58 days | Jordan | 2026 |
| Obdulio Varela | Uruguay | 36 years, 279 days | England | 1954 |
| Martin Palermo | Argentina | 36 years, 227 days | Greece | 2010 |
| Georges Bregy | Switzerland | 36 years, 152 days | USA | 1994 |
| Ramin Rezaeian | Iran | 36 years, 86 days | New Zealand | 2026 |
| Olivier Giroud | France | 36 years, 71 days | England | 2022 |
| Tom Finney | England | 36 years, 64 days | Soviet Union | 1958 |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 36 years, 29 days | Brazil | 2014 |
The previous record for the oldest goal scorer for Portugal in a FIFA World Cup match was held by Pepe. He was 39 years and 283 days old when he scored for Portugal in the Round of 16 match against Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The goal against Uzbekistan in the sixth minute of the match also helped Ronaldo become the first and only player in the world to score in six different editions of the FIFA World Cup. He scored one goal each in the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2022 editions for Portugal, while he found the back of the net four times at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
If Ronaldo scores one more goal in the ongoing match, he will take his FIFA World Cup tally to 10 goals and surpass Eusébio to become Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer in the tournament. Eusébio represented Portugal at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and scored nine goals.
About the Author
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis. Based in Noida, he has reported extensively on the…Read More
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