World Must Be Crazy

At the age of 58, Pedro Ribeiro Lima, the oldest professional player in activity, scored the first goal of his career. This could not have happened anywhere else than in Brazil, and its glorious state championships.

Pedro plays for A.D. Perilima, the worst club of Paraibano championship and scored from the penalty spot when Campinense had a 4 – 0 advantage in the score board. When the referee signalized the foul, his teammates had no doubt: Pedro had to take it. The fans celebrated the achievement as a title, and greeted Pedro as top star.

Despite the final score of 5 – 1, Pedro was very happy about it, and said that Romário’s search for the 1000th goal inspired him.

“I’m 58 years old but I feel 30,” said the iconic midfielder. “My dream is to reach 60 playing football. I believe that I can, but I only want to do so if I’m helping the team. Achieving positive results is the most important thing.”

At 58, Pedro Lima not only has the distinction of being Brazilian football’s oldest active player, he has also outranked some legendary performers across the continents. These include the iconic former England winger Stanley Matthews, who represented Maltese outfit Hibernians until he reached 55, and the ageless Cameroonian Roger Milla , the oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup™ history.

Indeed, while it remains to be seen whether the Brazilian can realise his dream of playing into his 60s, his talismanic presence has certainly made Perilima popular among the neutral supporters

Viewed 76275 times by 20061 viewers