Robert Carmona is a Uruguayan international football player who currently holds the record for having the oldest-ever football career, check out more about him, his age and goals
The Guinness World Record team recognized Carmona as the oldest-ever football player after a long process eventually ending with team of ambassadors visiting Uruguay to meet him.
Who is footballer Robert Carmona oldest ever football player, bio, age, team, goals, career stats
Robert Carmona is the oldest active footballer, aged 60 years old as of 2023. He began his career as a playmaker in 1976 and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest football career. pic.twitter.com/5dL18lUCyg
— Methefootballer (@Methefootbal1) March 25, 2023
@Robert @Carmona is the oldest football player in the world currently at 60yrs playing for La Vida as a CB🤗 pic.twitter.com/VZ7URwLq02
— 🌍NikDanz (@Nik_danz) March 21, 2023
Carmona obtained his Guinness certificate after he started sending in documents like his birth certificate, photographs, and match details with encouragement from his daughter.
Robert Carmona bio and age
Robert Carmona is a professional Uruguayan footballer who was born on April 30, 1962, and is currently 61 years old. He currently plays as a center-back and serves as the captain for fourth-division club Hacele Un Gol a la Vida. He is, unsurprisingly, the oldest-ever football player in the history of football.
Career
Carmona started out his football career in 1976 as a playmaker and has played without a season break ever since. Despite originally starting out his career as a midfield playmaker, he now plays as a centre-back. Aside from holding the Guinness World Record for longest ever football career, he also holds the record for the player with the biggest gap between spells at a club. He played for La Luz F.C. during the 1984–85 season before eventually returning in 2009 (24 years). Besides playing Uruguay, Carmona has played in lower leagues across Canada, United States, Spain, and Italy. He has played for 30 teams altogether across 2,200 official matches.
Carmona once stated:
You need a strong conviction, to believe that dreams come true if you aim for something. In my life there’s no such thing as ‘can’t’. I feel like I’ve been given a gift and I haven’t wasted it. I feel very alive and have the energy of a youngster.”
At 61 years of age, Carmona is still committed to his career, and does not see himself retiring anytime soon. He considers himself a chosen one and a living legend and shared how he still feels like a 25-year-old.
Carmona has been playing for Hacele Un Gol a la Vida since 2021 and the defender has two Guinness Book of Records. The defender debuted as a professional in 1976, and he has actively played in 47 professional soccer seasons and is stated to have played in around 2000 professional games in his long career.
Among the teams he played for professionally Carmona had spells with Liverpool, Bella Vista, Colon Montevideo, Progreso, Bella Vista in his native Uruguay and also played in the lower leagues of Canada, United States, Spain, and Italy.
He revealed how he wants his career to be a message to people to live a better quality life. While talking about his career, he also shared about how he would like FIFA to take notice of his achievements and record. He considers himself a prime example of health, sport, education, commitment, values and professionalism. And he owes all this to football which he believes FIFA should take notice.
Robert Carmona injuries
Throughout his career, Robert Carmona has undergone eight operations due to injuries. However, he still remains passionate about his intention of playing football and remains dedicated to the sport. Carmona states:
Even if I’m not under contract, I always train six or seven times a week. If I’m injured, I try to recover as quick as possible to get back to my best, to meet my objectives and not let anyone down. Unfortunately, I’ve had a several injuries and operations since 1980, I’ve had a total of eight operations.”
Other old football players
Aside from Robert Carmona, some other football players with long football careers include Sir Stanley Matthews who retired at 50. Matthews remains to be the epitome of longevity in football history, mainly because he played on the elite level till the end. Japanese professional footballer Kazuyoshi Miura is also a name worth noting who at 55 years, still plays in the lower tiers of Japanese football.