Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes Oldest Footballer To Play A FIFA World Cup Knockout Match

Last Updated:July 03, 2026, 03:30 IST

Before Ronaldo, the record for being the oldest outfield player to appear in a FIFA World Cup knockout match was held by Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Eden Dzeko.

Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo entered his name in the history books on Thursday (Friday IST) by becoming the oldest outfield player to feature in a FIFA World Cup knockout match. Ronaldo, who is 41 years and 149 days old, was named in Portugal’s starting XI for their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 clash against Croatia.

Before Ronaldo, the record for being the oldest outfield player to appear in a FIFA World Cup knockout match was held by Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Eden Dzeko.

Dzeko was 40 years and 106 days old when he started for Bosnia and Herzegovina in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against the United States on Wednesday (Thursday IST).

Ronaldo has scored two goals in three matches for Portugal at this year’s FIFA World Cup. If he finds the net against Croatia, he will break his former Portugal teammate Pepe’s record of being the oldest player to score in a FIFA World Cup knockout match.

Pepe was 39 years and 283 days old when he scored for Portugal in their FIFA World Cup 2022 Round of 16 victory over Switzerland.

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Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli...Read More

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