Faryd Mondragón becomes oldest player to play in World Cup

Published on: 25 June 2014
Faryd Mondragón becomes oldest player to play in World Cup
Faryd Mondragon of Colombia issues instructions during the international friendly match between Belgium and Colombia at King Badouin stadium on November 14, 2013 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Bongarts/Getty Images)

At 43 years old, Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón became the oldest player to ever play in a World Cup when he entered Colombia's match against Japan on Tuesday in the 85th minute with his team securely ahead 3-1.

In what would become a 4-1 win, he broke the record set byCameroon's Roger Milla at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

When Milla took the field in 1994, he was 42 years, one month and eight days old. Mondragón, who turned 43 on June 21, eclipsed the record by nearly a year.

Mondragón was an unused sub at the 1994 World Cup, but played in all three group stage matches for Colombia in 1998. When Los Cafeteros qualified for World Cup in 2014 for the first time in 16 years, Mondragón was named as one of the team's goalkeepers.

Mondragón began his professional career in 1990 with Deportivo Cali in Colombia, and has played in Paraguay, Argentina, Spain, France, Turkey, Germany and with the Philadelphia Union in MLS.

He returned to Deportivo Cali in 2012.

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