Cristiano Ronaldo to become fourth oldest player in the history of the World Cup

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing to write a new chapter in World Cup history when he leads Portugal in the 2026 World Cup, at an age of 41 years and 126 days when the tournament kicks off, becoming the fourth oldest player to participate in the history of the World Cup, according to historical figures adopted in the FIFA report.

Despite Ronaldo’s approach to the historic peak, the record is still held by Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, who made history during the 2018 World Cup in Russia as the oldest player to participate in the World Cup at the age of 45 years and 161 days, after he played in the match between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and succeeded in saving a penalty kick.

According to the historical list of the oldest players in the World Cup, El-Hadary tops the list by a comfortable margin, followed by Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón, who participated in the 2014 World Cup at the age of 43 years and 3 days, and then Cameroonian legend Roger Milla, who played in the 1994 edition at the age of 42 years and 39 days.

Ronaldo making history

If Ronaldo officially participates in the 2026 World Cup, he will surpass prominent historical names such as Northern Irish goalkeeper Pat Jennings, who participated at the age of 41 in the 1986 World Cup, in addition to Englishman Peter Shilton, who participated at the age of 40 years and 292 days in the 1990 World Cup, and Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who participated at the age of 40 years and 133 days in the 1982 World Cup, to advance directly to fourth place in the historical list.

The Portuguese captain, born on February 5, 1985, continues to defy time, having already become the first player to score in five different editions of the World Cup, while the world awaits the possibility of his appearance in a sixth World Cup, an unprecedented achievement in the history of the game that could be shared by the Argentine captain, Lionel Messi.

Thus, the 2026 World Cup could become a new historical milestone in Ronaldo’s career, not only in terms of goal-scoring numbers, but also as one of the most consistent and competitive players across different generations of football.

Featured image via Getty/Charles McQuillan