The Premier League continues to bring joy and excitement to billions of people around the world. The players that feature in the top flight of English football tend to be finely tuned athletes at the peak of their fitness.
Some players even play into their forties due to their healthy lifestyles. However, who are the top ten oldest players to feature in the Premier League era?
John Burridge (43 years, five months, 11 days for Manchester City)
“Budgie’ enjoyed a football career that spanned nearly a quarter of a century. The goalkeeper represented an incredible 20 clubs during his long-playing career.
Burridge last played in the Premier League at the age of 43 years, five months, 11 days for Manchester City in a 3-2 defeat against QPR. It may have been his last top-flight game, but the veteran goalkeeper didn’t retire from the game completely, as he went on to represent eight more clubs, finally retiring in 1997.
Alex Chamberlain (42 years, ten months, 23 days for Watford)
Another veteran goalkeeper, Chamberlain, was a key figure at Watford in both the Premier League and the second tier for eight seasons before hanging up his gloves in 2004.
Happy Birthday, Alec Chamberlain 🎉
The Watford legend turns 55 today! pic.twitter.com/KGYDQKClP6
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) June 20, 2019
After retiring from playing, he became a coach with the Hornets. However, the goalkeeper came out of retirement in the 2006/07 season and made his final top-flight appearance when he came on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle.
Steve Ogrizovic (42 years, seven months, 24 days for Coventry City)
Ogrizovic, or “Oggy’ as he is affectionately known by those connected with Coventry City, is a Sky Blues legend. The goalkeeper joined the club from the Midlands in 1984 and went on to make a club record 601 appearances for City.
His final appearance in the Premier League came on the final day of the 1999/2000 season at the age of 42 years, seven months, 24 days, as he played in a 4-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Brad Friedel (42 years, five months, 23 days for Tottenham)
The former USA international became a popular figure in the Premier League, playing for Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham. Friedel holds a record for playing 310 Premier League consecutive matches.
When it comes to this list, Friedel’s entry is due to an appearance for Spurs in a November 2013 1-0 defeat against Newcastle.
Mark Schwarzer (42 years, five months, eight days for Leicester)
The former Australian international is another who toured Premier League clubs during his career. He made his name at Middlesbrough before stints with Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester. Schwarzer is the only foreign player to make over 500 top-flight appearances, such was his longevity.
His presence on this list is due to an appearance for Leicester in 2015, as the Foxes drew 0-0 with Hull City.
Schwarzer was in Chelsea and Leicester’s squads when they won the Premier League title. However, he didn’t play enough games to win a medal with either club.
Neville Southall (41 years, five months, 25 days for Bradford City)
The Welshman was quite simply one of the best goalkeepers British football has ever seen. At one point during his playing career, Southall could easily have claimed to be the best goalkeeper in the world.
He became an Everton legend during his long-playing career. However, Southall left the Toffees in 1998 after being displaced as the team’s number one.
He played in the lower leagues before becoming a player-coach at Bradford City. It was with the Yorkshire club that Southall made his final top-flight appearance in a 2-1 home defeat in a local derby against Leeds in March 2000.
Kevin Poole (41 years, five months, 11 days for Bolton Wanderers)
Poole spent his Premier League years with Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers, having also featured for several lower league teams in his career.
Despite being number two to first-choice goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen at Bolton, Poole got his chance to shine in January 2005 when he played in-between the sticks in a 1-1 draw with West Brom at the tender age of 41 years, five months, 11 days. He made just five top-flight appearances for the Trotters in five seasons with the club.
Jens Lehmann (41 years, five months for Arsenal)
The former Germany international was Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper from 2003 until 2008 before returning to his homeland and calling time on his career in 2010.
Borussia Dortmund ➡️ @Arsenal#OnThisDay in 2003, Jens Lehmann became a Gunner and, not long after, a #PL Invincible… pic.twitter.com/hPTHlGXvIY
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 25, 2019
However, in March 2011, the north London club were in a goalkeeping crisis, with all four of their ‘keepers ruled out of action. Lehmann came out of retirement and signed a rolling contract with the Gunners. His final top-flight appearance for Arsenal came in a 3-1 win over Blackpool.
Teddy Sheringham (40 years, eight months, 28 days for West Ham)
The former England international forward is the only non-goalkeeper on our list. Sheringham enjoyed a long-playing career, including featuring for Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Manchester United, Portsmouth, and West Ham in the Premier League.
Sheringham ended his top-flight career at West Ham, where he became the oldest-ever Premier League goalscorer when he scored against former club Portsmouth in December 2006 at 40. He later joined Colchester United before retiring at 42 in 2008.
Edwin Van Der Sar (40 years, six months, 23 days for Manchester United)
The former Netherlands international made his name at Ajax before enjoying a short stint at Italian giants Juventus. He first moved to England when he joined Fulham in 2001, where he spent four years before a switch to Manchester United.
Van der Sar went on to enjoy a fruitful career with the Red Devils, as he won the Premier League title on four occasions. His last Premier League outing came in a 4-2 victory over Blackpool in 2011.