Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been recalled to the Sweden national team five years after retiring from international football.
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The AC Milan striker, who turns 40 this year, will be available for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers later this month.
If he’s picked, he will become the oldest player to feature for Sweden.
It is rare for a footballer to be called up for international duty at such an advanced age, but it is also not entirely unheard of.
In no particular order, here’s a list of just some of the other veteran players who’ve defied their age to make a name for themselves on the international stage.
Essam El Hadary
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At 45 years and 161 days, the Egypt goalkeeper is officially the oldest player to ever feature in a World Cup match.
He won a total of 159 caps for his country, and his last major tournament was the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Dino Zoff
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The legendary Italian keeper is the oldest player to win a World Cup title, doing so in 1982 at the age of 40 years and 4 months.
Zoff is widely regarded as one of the three best goalkeepers to ever play the game, besides Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks.
Tim Cahill
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The former Everton star is Australia’s all-time highest goalscorer with 50 goals over a 14-year senior career with the Socceroos.
He’s a veteran of four World Cup campaigns, with his last appearance coming at the 2018 edition in Russia at the age of 38.
Rafael Marquez
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The ex-Barcelona defender is widely regarded as one of the best Mexican footballers of all time.
He’s the first player ever to captain his side at five World Cups, and was 39-years-old when he made his final appearance for Mexico at a major tournament.
Roger Milla
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No list of veteran national team players would be complete without the Cameroon striker.
He is the oldest goalscorer in the World Cup, finding the back of the net against Russia in 1994 at the ripe old age of 42.
But Milla is perhaps best known for his trademark goal celebration – where he runs to the corner flag and performs a samba-like dance.
By: Nicholas Darren John
