Oldest players to win a World Cup: Where Lionel Messi's second title at age 39 would rank in FIFA history

Oldest players to win a World Cup: Where Lionel Messi's second title at age 39 would rank in FIFA history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Soccer is often a young man's game. That's why Argentina's World Cup run was initially viewed as Lionel Messi's last chance to finally win on the world's biggest stage.

Nearly four years later, that idea has been proven false. Argentina may or may not win back-to-back World Cups, but Messi has shown each match that he is up for the task even as one of the oldest premier players in the tournament.

A win over Spain on Sunday would put Messi in rare territory for more reasons than one.

Here's a look at the oldest players to win a World Cup and where Messi would rank on the list.

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Oldest players to win a World Cup

Italy's Dino Zoff easily tops the list of oldest players to win the World Cup, while Messi already ranks seventh after winning the 2022 World Cup at 35 years and 177 days:

1. Dino Zoff (40 years, 133 days)

Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff made his fourth World Cup appearance at age 40 in 1982, making him the only player over the age of 37 to win the World Cup. Zoff was the captain of the team and wrapped up his 16-year international career with Italy in 1983. He would later manage the Italian national team from 1998-2000.

2. Nilton Santos (37 years, 32 days)

Nilton Santos is considered an all-time great defender, having won the World Cup representing Brazil in both 1958 and 1962. He remains the oldest non-goalie to win the World Cup, doing so at 37 years old. Santos is memorialized with a stadium named in his honor in Brazil; it hosted games in the 2016 Copa America and 2016 Ollympics events.

3. Angelo Peruzzi (36 years, 143 days)

Italian goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi won the World Cup in 2006 at age 36, but he served as the backup to Gianluigi Buffon during the tournament. Peruzzi retired from international competition after the win.

4. Franco Armani (36 years, 63 days)

Argentine goalkeeper Franco Armani was the only player on the 2022 World Cup-winning team older than Messi, but he didn't play; Armani spent the tournament backing up starter Emiliano Martinez.

5. Miroslav Klose (36 years, 34 days)

Miroslav Klose retired having accomplished all that a player can accomplish at the World Cup, winning with Germany in 2014 and finishing as the all-time goal leader in the tournament. While Klose has been surpassed by Messi and Kylian Mbappe on the goal leaderboard, he remains one of the oldest non-goalies to win the World Cup, having done so at age 36 just before his international retirement. 

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How old is Lionel Messi?

Messi turned 39 on June 24. He has the chance to become only the second player older than 37 to win the World Cup, four years after claiming his first title at 35.

Messi is far from the oldest player at the 2026 World Cup, with 11 players entering the tournament older than him. But he's the oldest player still standing and has made an impact that dwarfs just about all of the tournament's other veterans.

2026 is still set to be Messi's final World Cup.