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Pepe tops list of oldest UCL scorers, bumps Ronaldo out of top 10

admin8 November 2023Last Update :
Pepe tops list of oldest UCL scorers, bumps Ronaldo out of top 10

Pepe tops list of oldest UCL scorers, bumps Ronaldo out of top 10،

  • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerNovember 8, 2023, 1:00 p.m.

Proving once again that age is nothing more than a number, FC Porto’s Pepe this week set a new Champions League record by becoming the oldest player to score a goal in 68 years history of the European Cup.

Pepe is already the oldest outfield player to have played in the competition – a record he further extended by playing the full 90 minutes in Porto’s 2-0 win over Antwerp in Group H on Tuesday. However, Portugal’s veteran centre-back also contributed to his side’s second goal, with a thumping header in stoppage time, sealing his status as the oldest goalscorer in Champions League history at the age of 40 years, 8 months and 12 days.

Pepe belied his fearsomely combative reputation by revealing his major goal was actually doubly important because of a special promise he made to his mother before kick-off. “Today is a special day for me. It’s my mother’s birthday and I told her that I will do everything I can to score a goal,” he said after the match.

Porto coach Sergio Conceicao added: “He is perhaps, as I have said many times, the most competitive player I have worked with, not only as a coach. C “He is an incredible competitive animal because he puts football and his family above everything else. and makes sacrifices to hold this position at 40.”

By finding the net against Antwerp, Pepe broke the record held by Roma legend Francesco Totti for almost a decade. Additionally, the Porto captain’s goal also had the effect of knocking former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo out of the top 10.

Ronaldo topped the list after scoring against Villarreal at the age of 36 years, 9 months and 18 days in November 2021, during his second spell with Manchester United. However, Pepe’s strike helped drop his fellow Portuguese international to 11th place overall.

This is what the top 10 looks like after Pepe moved to the top of the list.

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10. Paolo Maldini, AC Milan v Liverpool, 2005 (36 years, 10 months, 29 days)

Maldini scored on the biggest stage in the Champions League when he scored for Milan in the 2005 final against Liverpool in Istanbul. THE Rossoneri the left back volleyed off an Andrea Pirlo cross to kick off with less than a minute played in an all-time classic. Milan led 3-0 at half-time, but a strong Liverpool comeback meant the match ended 3-3 after 120 minutes, and the Reds ultimately triumphed via the ensuing penalty shootout.

9. Laurent Blanc, Olympiacos v Manchester United, 2002 (36 years, 11 months, 4 days)

The first of two centre-backs included here, the polished French defender scored a header for Manchester United in their 3-2 group stage victory over two decades ago, which still keeps him in the top 10 to this day .

The ever-present Giroud also took his place in the top 10 oldest Champions League scorers on Tuesday when the Milan striker took flight to head home his team’s winning goal against PSG.

7. Edin Dzeko, Inter Milan vs. AC Milan, 2023 (37 years, 1 month, 23 days)

Inter were two goals ahead in 11 minutes when they faced rivals AC Milan in the first leg of last season’s Champions League semi-final derby. THE NerazzuriThe first goal of the match was scored by Dzeko, who volleyed home from close range after just eight minutes of play.

6. Luka Modric, Real Madrid v Celtic, 2022 (37 years, 1 month, 24 days)

Beating Dzeko by just one day, Modric’s decisive goal came in Real Madrid’s 5-1 demolition of Celtic in last season’s group stage. The veteran midfielder converted a penalty just six minutes from time to get the ball rolling at the Bernabeu.

5. Javier Zanetti, Inter Milan v Tottenham Hotspur, 2010 (37 years, 2 months, 10 days)

Zanetti sent a smart finish into the far top corner to open the score against Tottenham and become, at the time, the oldest scorer in the Champions League.

However, this group stage match at San Siro remains especially in the memories of young Gareth Bale. scoring an incredible second half hat trick with solo goals – and yet we always end up on the losing side.

4. Filippo Inzaghi, AC Milan v Real Madrid, 2010 (37 years, 2 months, 25 days)

Fifteen days later, Inzaghi overtook Zanetti by scoring both goals of the match. Rossoneri in a 2-2 draw against fellow European heavyweights Real Madrid in the 2010-11 group stage. Milan finished far behind The Whites in Group C before being eliminated by Tottenham in the round of 16 thanks to a single goal from Peter Crouch in the two matches.

3. Ryan Giggs, Benfica v Manchester United, 2011 (37 years, 9 months, 16 days)

After falling behind to an opener from Oscar Cardozo, Giggs became the Champions League’s oldest goalscorer as he restored parity for Manchester United with a crisp strike from the edge of the box.

2. Francesco Totti, CSKA Moscow vs. AS Roma, 2014 (38 years, 1 month, 29 days)

Before Pepe, Totti held the record for the competition’s oldest goalscorer for almost a decade. THE Giallorossi great opened the scoring in the first half of a 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow in the group stage with a softly struck free kick, only to see his side succumb to the equalizer in the 93rd minute in the Russian capital.

1. Pepe, Porto v Antwerp, 2023 (40 years, 8 months, 12 days)

Pepe moved to the top of the list by becoming the oldest goalscorer in European Cup and Champions League history with his header in stoppage time against Antwerp.

Pepe scored his first ever Champions League goal for Porto at the age of 22 when he scored a somewhat improbable brace in a 3-2 defeat to Rangers in September 2005.

Eighteen years and 28 career trophies later, he has entered the record books.

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