The English Premier League is arguably the most competitive soccer league on the planet. It takes tremendous skill and mental fortitude to leave a mark in the league of the best English clubs, and it gets doubly difficult when one is on the wrong side of 30.
However, over the years, we have seen a few veteran players beat the odds and leave a mark in the best possible way — by finding the back of the net in a hotly contested English top-flight showdown. Continue reading to meet the 10 oldest goalscorers in the history of the Premier League:
#10 Gary Speed – 37 Years 11 Months
Gary Speed was 37 years and 11 months old when he hit the netting for Bolton Wanderers in a 3-0 victory over Reading FC on August 25, 2007. The left-midfielder left the club for Sheffield United at the end of the season.
Between Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, and Bolton, Speed played 535 Premier League matches, scoring 80 times and providing 32 assists. Speed won the English top-flight title with Leeds United in the 1991-92 season.
#9 Mick Harford – 38 Years 1 Month
Ex-England international Mick Harford scored his last Premier League goal on March 18, 1997. Harford’s goal helped his then-club Wimbledon FC to a 1-1 draw with West Ham United. The former center-forward played just 12 Premier League games in the 1996-97 season, with the goal against the Hammers being his only goal involvement.
Between Chelsea, Coventry City, and Wimbledon, Harford played 89 EPL matches, finding the back of the net 19 times.
#8 Tugay Kerimoglu – 38 Years 3 Months
Former Turkey defensive midfielder scored his final Premier League goal at the age of 38 years and three months. Kerimoglu, who was playing for Blackburn Rovers at the time, scored his team’s second goal in a 3-2 defeat to Portsmouth on November 30, 2008. In typical fashion, expert long-range shooter Kerimoglu picked up the ball outside the area and put his boot through the ball, giving Portsmouth goalkeeper David James no chance whatsoever.
Kerimoglu only represented Blackburn in the Premier League. Between 2001 and 2009, he played 233 league games in England’s premier soccer division, scoring 10 times and providing 10 assists.
#7 Mark Hughes – 38 Years 5 Months
In seventh place, we have Mark Hughes, who was 38 years and five months old when he scored for Blackburn Rovers in a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on March 30, 2002. It was Hughes’ only Premier League goal for Blackburn (21 matches).
Hughes represented Manchester United, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, and, of course, Blackburn in the English top flight. The center-forward played a total of 292 EPL matches, scoring 64 times and providing 20 assists. Hughes won two consecutive Premier League titles with the Red Devils in 1992-93 and 1993-94.
#6 Graham Alexander – 38 Years 6 Months
Preston North End legend Graham Alexander played only 33 games after the English First Division was rebranded to the Premier League. But it did not keep him from making a record-setting contribution. Alexander, who is currently serving as Bradford’s manager, was 38 years and six months old when he scored a brace against Hull City on April 10, 2010. His timely double propelled Burnley to a 4-1 victory.
Alexander’s only season in the Premier League was a fruitful one. He played 33 games in the 2009-10 campaign, scoring seven times and providing an assist.
#5 Stuart Pearce – 38 Years 7 Months
Stuart Pearce was 38 years and seven months old when he scored for West Ham United against Southampton on November 25, 2000. Pearce’s strike helped the Hammers to an impressive 3-2 victory over the Saints.
The former left-back represented three teams in the English top flight — Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, and West Ham — scoring 20 times in 202 games. Most of Pearce’s games came for Nottingham, with him scoring 18 times in 123 games for them.
#4 Thiago Silva – 39 Years 2 Months
Chelsea center-back Thiago Silva joined this list of elites on Sunday, November 11, 2023, during his team’s exhilarating 4-4 draw with Manchester City. Aged 39 years and two months, Silva evaded Manchester City’s zonal marking to connect with Conor Gallagher’s corner kick delivery at the near post. The Brazilian’s thumping header gave his countryman, Ederson, no chance whatsoever.
The former Paris Saint-Germain defender has been at Stamford Bridge since August 2020. He has played 94 Premier League games so far, scoring six times and claiming three assists.
#3 Ryan Giggs – 39 Years 3 Months
The most successful player on this list, Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs is the third-oldest scorer in the history of the Premier League. The Welsh legend scored his final English top-flight goal when he was 39 years and three months old. Giggs’ record-making strike came in a 2-0 victory over Queen Parks Rangers on February 23, 2013. It marked Giggs’ second goal of the season, with him also scoring on the previous Matchday.
Giggs won a whopping 13 Premier League titles during his legendary career, all with his boyhood club Manchester United. He played 632 matches in the competition, scoring 108 times and claiming 168 assists. Only Gareth Barry (652 games) has played more Premier League matches in history.
#2 Dean Windass – 39 Years 8 Months
Bradford City legend Dean Windass was 39 years and eight months old when he scored his last Premier League goal. Donning Hull City’s jersey, Windass got on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw with Portsmouth on November 22, 2008.
Windass, who only played five league games in his only season at Hull City, played 104 Premier League matches in his career across Bradford City, Middlesbrough, and Hull. He found the back of the net 17 times.
#1 Teddy Sheringham – 40 Years 9 Months
Teddy Sheringham is the only player in Premier League history to score after crossing the 40-year milestone. The former Manchester United striker was 40 years and nine months old when he scored for West Ham United against Portsmouth on Boxing Day in 2006. Unfortunately, his goal ultimately counted four naught as the Hammers fell to a 2-1 defeat that night.
Sheringham enjoyed a remarkable Premier League career, scoring a whopping 146 times and providing 61 assists in 418 matches. The center-forward, who retired in July 2008, served as a Tottenham Hotspur player for a good seven seasons, scoring 97 times for them in 237 Premier League appearances.
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