The oldest player you ever saw live

Discussion in 'Soccer History' started by Excape Goat, Jan 12, 2014.

  1. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    I am curious if anyone actually saw any of the older legends playing in a live game(no on TV). If you saw di Stefano playing for Real Madrid veteran team at the age of 65, it still counts. I wonder if anyone saw Pele, Beckenbauer or even Puskas.

    I have seen Socrates, Dasayer and Maradona.

    @RoyOfTheRovers You mentioned something in the other forum, I seemed to recall.
     
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  2. Lucas...

    Lucas... Member+

    Dec 18, 2012
    Every week, I saw Romario in his last years (2005-2007). He was 39-41 years.



    He should have retired before, he was slow and needed a car to get some passes, but when the ball was at his feet, he still had class and intelligence.
     
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  3. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    too many ...

    CRUIJFF 32 (1980)
    Maradona 34 (WC94)
    Pele last game at 37 turning 38 (1977)
    Dino Zoff and Van der Sar at 40-41 (1982 and 2010)
    Roger Milla at 42 (WC94)
     
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  4. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Great list.

    I don't mean age.... old as in long time ago or an old timer. If you saw Pele at 17, that is "old". If you saw Ronaldo at 28, that's not old. Sorry for not being clear. This is my mistake.
     
  5. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    I see ...

    WC1974 was my very fist WC live watching event in television ( I was in France at time)
    so that Cruijff was my very first idol for that sentimental moment
     
  6. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    At least, you also saw Pele alive. I was around when he was still active, but I did not get to watch him in action or on TV.
     
  7. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    yeah I was fortunate to have watched Pele playing live with Cosmos (passed his peak) and also some games of George Best there ...
     
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  8. Cisarro

    Cisarro New Member

    Feb 6, 2014
    Club:
    Univ Catolica
    Legends? mmm... let me see...

    In a live game (no TV) I just remember Daniel Passarella when River Plate played a friendly match in Chile (1988). In a live game on TV... mmm... Mario Kempes playing for Fernández Vial (Chile) in 1995. And my very first WC on TV was Mexico '86 (I was 9 years old), so I could add Michel Platini, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Zico, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, etc.
     
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  9. Okamoto

    Okamoto New Member

    Mar 6, 2014
    Rio de Janeiro
    Club:
    Vasco da Gama Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Romario in 2006 for Vasco at arround 40
    Juninho Pernambucano for Vasco in 2011-2013 at 37~39
    Ronaldo for Corinthians in 2009 at ~32
     
  10. Ribeiro dos Reis

    Mar 17, 2012
    Club:
    SL Benfica
    Nat'l Team:
    Portugal
    I was lucky enough to see once Barcelona one year before the 1994 World Cup, so i saw live Romario (born in 1966) and company. Also i saw live Baresi's Milan (he was born in 1960), including major stars like Paolo Maldini and so on. Unfortunately i never saw Van Basten and Gullit (the former was serious injured and the latter was transfered).

    I also saw live more "recent" stars like Batistuta (born in 1969) and Caniggia (born in 1967, played for my club for one season).

    But the oldest international star i ever saw live, was the one and only and true legend of my club, Monsieur Michel Preud'Homme, of course. For 5 amazing (and sad) years i saw many games of this gentleman, the best keeper of the 1994 World Cup.

    He was born in 1959 (!). His age didn't avoid to be a crowd favorite, and he played almost 200 games for the club and when he arrived he was 35 years old (!).

    As far as i know, he's one of the few players from the last 20 years that made a full lap in the stadium before a standing ovation. He had respect from all opponents and was known as a down-to-Earth type of man and great profissional.

    Other than that, and as far as i remember, the oldest player i ever saw live was Veloso. He probably is not an world legend but he's a legend of my club nonetheless (he played for more than 530 games, won 16 titles, and started to play in 1980, born in 1957).
     
  11. Real Ray

    Real Ray Member

    May 1, 2000
    Cincinnati, OH
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Off the top of my head, I think Carlos Valderama-he was either 39 or 40 during his last season in MLS.
     
  12. Tambling Fan

    Tambling Fan Member

    Jun 1, 2014
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Just about every player in the old 1st Division from the mid Sixties to the end of the Seventies. I was at Bobby Charlton and Pat Jennings last games for Man U and Arsenal and around about the same time, Ray Wilkins first game for Chelsea.
     
  13. Tambling Fan

    Tambling Fan Member

    Jun 1, 2014
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    Having a look through the stats I think the oldest player I saw live was Bill Foulkes born 1932 Man Utd player and Munich survivor . He was 35 when I first went to football.

    Players I have seen who were born before World War 2.
    Dave Mackay (1934) still playing and winning for Derby in 1971
    Ray Wilson (1934)
    Cliff Jones. (1935) Spurs '68 Fulham '70
    Gordon Banks (1935) 1972 League Cup Final dammit.
    Jack Charlton (1935)
    George Eastham (1936) Scored in that 72 League Cup final (member of 1966 world cup squad)
    Bobby Charlton (1937)

    That would make a pretty good team as it goes.
     
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  14. Tambling Fan

    Tambling Fan Member

    Jun 1, 2014
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    The Internet is so big now I can look up the team sheets of games I went to in 1966.

    Ron Yeats, Gordon Milne, Roger Hunt, Ian St John all pre-war babies at Liverpool.
    Alex Young at Everton
    Peter Brabook at West Ham


    So my team of oldies can be

    Banks

    Foulkes Yeats Charlton Wilson

    Milne Mackay

    Brabrook Hunt Charlton Jones

    St John as sub and still 2 international forwards playing for the 2nd XI
     
  15. tony-soprano37

    Dec 5, 2008
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    well me dad took me to the stadium at veyr young age.. ofcourse many things i have forgotten i mean you don't have to much memories being 3/4 years old.

    but i saw (according to me dad) beckenbauer, muller also pirri and santillana, amacio. also ofcourse all the big ajax players like keizer, cruyff, neeskens, krol, rep.

    furthermore gentile, causio, scirea, zoff to name a few italians.

    peter shilton, viv anderson, kevin keegan

    furthermore plasyers like van hanegem the brothers van der kerkhof, rensenbrink

    also george best 1 time....

    probably i am forgetting some players but me stadium visits started around 1973/1974 from that period me dad took me to ajax games and when i was a bit odler lso to international games that holland played and european games ajax played

    but the player who always ahd made the msot impression on me was cruyff..

    he was me childhood hero..

    late ron i also coudl enjoy bergkamp very much..

    man oh man on trainingssessiosn i have sene him do things almsot impossible..
     
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  16. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    wow ... so you had a similar back ground of watching football like me ... and Cruyff was also my first idol/hero at WC74 !
    I did watch WC70 live (on TV) but at time I did not have enough knowledge to judge players - haha at time I did think Pele was overrated too :x3:
     
  17. TingXuan

    TingXuan Member

    Jan 15, 2015
    Malaysia
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Malaysia
    The best oldest player I saw was Theirry Henry at the World Cup of 2002 Japan/Korea

    Oh and Ronaldo 9 of Brazil,I still don't really undestand soccer at that time but now that I know a little,he's a beast
     
  18. Father Ted

    Father Ted BigSoccer Supporter

    Manchester United, Galway United, New York Red Bulls
    Nov 2, 2001
    Connecticut
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ireland Republic
    Henry would have been 24 at WC02...
     

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