The Oldest Players In Premier League History

Longevity is one thing but playing and excelling at the very highest level of football when your bones start to creak, and the heart desires a comfortable pair of slippers over muddied boots, is quite another.

These well-seasoned ten stared down the ravages of time and inspired forty-somethings everywhere, in doing so becoming the 10 oldest players in the history of the Premier League.

We begin with one of the best goalkeepers of his generation. We end with one of the most eccentric…

Edwin van der Sar – 40 years, 6 months, 23 days

The Dutch giant bowed out at the top, in a Champions League final for Manchester United no less, making him the second oldest player to appear in the highly prestigious fixture.

The Reds lost that game but did win the Premier League in Van der Sar’s farewell campaign, one that saw him consistently magnificent as always.

Indeed, he was selected for the PFA Team of the Year which suggests he even had another year or two left in the tank.

Teddy Sheringham – 40 years, 8 months, 28 days

After winning all manner of silverware with Manchester United, Alan Shearer’s favourite strike partner returned to Spurs for a couple of seasons before seeing out his illustrious career at Portsmouth, then West Ham.

It was in the claret and blue of the Hammers that Sheringham made an appearance just shy of his 41st birthday in 2006. This statistic makes him the only outfield player on this list which is a testament to his remarkable staying power.

It was always a cliché to claim that he had an extra yard of pace in his head but ultimately the proof was in the pudding.

Jens Lehmann – 41 years, 5 months

The imposing German was Arsenal’s custodian when they became invincible in 2004, traversing an entire league campaign undefeated.

Week in, week out, the Gunners justified their favourites tag in the football betting, this incredible feat largely deriving from a shed-load of goals courtesy of Thierry Henry and from having Lehmann in nets.

His final appearance for the club came much later, when an injury crisis prompted them to lure the veteran stopper out of retirement in 2011.

He played once that season, at Blackpool, and was of course reliable throughout.

Kevin Poole – 41 years, 5 months, 11 days

Some would put Kevin Poole in the journeyman category. Perhaps that’s fair given the number of clubs he played for, but Poole also enjoyed lengthy stints with Leicester and Burton.

For the latter he turned out in his Fifties, forced to don the gloves again after a young Jordan Pickford was recalled by his parent club Sunderland.

As for top-flight action, it was while playing for Bolton that Poole joined this elite group of age-defiers.

A back-up to Jussi Jaaskelainen for the entirety of his four years in the North-West, Poole would occasionally step in and never disappoint.

Neville Southall – 41 years, 5 months, 25 days

A solitary appearance for Bradford against Leeds in 2000 saw this household name return to the back pages, several years beyond his peak.

At the time, Southall was a player-coach with the Bantams, and his shirt size has expanded to XXL, but there were still glimpses in what he did that afternoon to remind all at Valley Parade they were in the presence of genuine greatness.

A stonewall Everton legend, the Welshman was once widely considered the finest practitioner of goalkeeping on the planet.

Mark Schwarzer – 42 years, 5 months, 8 days

Australia’s most capped player was a well-established name in the English top-flight when he moved to Leicester in January 2015, principally to act as cover for Kasper Schmeichel.

A debut at Old Trafford just a fortnight later ensured that Schwarzer became the oldest player in the Foxes’ history. Alas, the live betting experts who backed a comfortable home win were proved correct and a subsequent run of poor results led to Schmeichel immediately reclaiming his place on returning from injury.

Prior to all this, ‘Warz’ was a model of consistency for Middlesbrough, then Fulham for 15 years and more.

Brad Friedel – 42 years, 5 months, 23 days

Friedel had an epic Premier League career that broke many records.

Perhaps most impressively, no player has appeared in more consecutive games than the American’s tally of 310.

His 450 Premier League appearances meanwhile are the most by any player from north or south America.

It wasn’t just durability, though. Friedel was among the league’s top goalkeepers throughout his time in England, even when he was deep into his thirties.

Steve Ogrizovic – 42 years, 7 months, 24 days

A policeman before picking up the gloves, ‘Oggy’ holds the record for the most appearances ever for Coventry. He also played in their FA Cup winning side in the 1980s.

On top of an impressive goalkeeping career spanning four decades, Oggy managed to find time to represent Shropshire at cricket.

Whatever he did, he did it with distinction.

Alec Chamberlain – 42 years, 10 months, 23 days

Replacing Ben Foster during Watford’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle in 2007, Alec Chamberlain became the second oldest player in the history of the Premier League. It was his first appearance in the top flight since the 1999/2000 campaign.

Having made his name with Colchester in the 1980s, Chamberlain spent extended periods with Luton, Sunderland and Watford, going on to work as a goalkeeping coach for the Hornets after he retired.

John Burridge – 43 years, 5 months, 11 days

Burridge became the oldest player in the Premier League way back in 1995 when he started in nets for Manchester City in a 3-2 loss to Queen’s Park Rangers.

Having made his debut for Workington in 1969, Burridge enjoyed a career spanning almost three decades. His Premier League tenure was admittedly limited, with just four total appearances in the competition.

For all of his many attributes, Burridge is chiefly recalled for his eccentricities, not least a warm-up routine that was inspired by a trip to the circus. It involved hand-stands and back-flips that delighted every crowd.