Oldest players to win Champions League: List of veterans to win Europe's elite competition

Joel Sritharan

Oldest players to win Champions League: List of veterans to win Europe's elite competition image

Manchester City and Inter Milan are preparing for one of the biggest games in their club's histories as they meet in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola is looking to lead the Citizens to their first ever Champions League trophy, while Inter have not won the competition since 2010 when Jose Mourinho guided them to victory.

Man City goalkeeper Scott Carson could not only achieve a second Champions League winners' medal – having been part of the Liverpool 2005 squad – but he may become one of the oldest players to win the tournament.

The Sporting News looks at the oldest players to win the Champions League.

MORE: Man City vs Inter prediction for 2023 Champions League final

Oldest players to win Champions League

If Man City do beat Inter in the Champions League final, Carson will become the second oldest player to have ever won the competition at 37 years and 277 days old*. The record is currently held by Italian legend Paolo Maldini, who won the 2007 edition with AC Milan against Liverpool.

Inter duo Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi also make the top five after beating Bayern Munich in the 2010 final. It would certainly take something special for Maldini's record to be broken.

Maldini is also the oldest goalscorer in a Champions League final. He scored in the 2005 final, also against Liverpool, but Milan ended up losing that match in stunning fashion as they surrendered a three-goal lead.

Here's a table of the oldest Champions League winners since the competition started in 1992:

*Age on the day of the 2023 Champions League final

Player Age Team Year Won
Paolo Maldini 38 years 331 days Milan 2007
Pietro Vierchowod 37 years 46 days Juventus 1996
Alessandro Costacurta 37 years 34 days Milan 2003
Javier Zanetti 36 years 285 days Inter 2010
Marco Materazzi 36 years 276 days Inter 2010

Will Scott Carson get a winners medal?

Carson was a part of the Liverpool squad in 2005 that beat Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul. He made the bench after goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was injured. 

Although he received a medal on that day, he did reveal that he tried to give it to his fellow goalkeeper, which Kirkland kindly rejected. Carson did not feel comfortable with a medal as he did not play many minutes in the competition.

Man City will be given 40 medals to share between them if they do manage to win this year's final. However Carson may choose to reject the medal as he is now the third goalkeeper in the side, behind Ederson and Stefan Ortega, and has not played a single minute in the competition.

When is the 2023 Champions League final?

The 2023 UEFA Champions League final will be held on Saturday, June 10, at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

The kickoff will be 8 p.m. BST in the UK, 3 p.m. ET in the USA and Canada, and 5 a.m. AEST in Australia (the following day).

MORE: When is Man City vs Inter Milan Champions League final 2023?

Country Date Projected
Time
Australia Sun, June 11 5 a.m. AEST
Canada Sat, June 10 3 p.m. EDT
Hong Kong Sun, June 11 3 a.m. HKT
India Sun, June 11 12:30 a.m. IST
Malaysia Sun, June 11 3 a.m. MYT
New Zealand Sun, June 11 7 a.m. NZST
Singapore Sun, June 11 3 a.m. SST
UK Sat, June 10 8 p.m. BST
USA Sat, June 10 3 p.m. ET

Joel Sritharan

Joel Sritharan Photo

Joel Sritharan is a freelance writer for Sporting News UK.