Goran Pandev made an outstanding achievement last night when he led North Macedonia to its debut Euro at the age of 37.
Let's take a quick look at some of the greatest veterans who show that it is never too late for international success.
Essam El Hadary (Egypt, 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and 2018 World Cup)
The Egyptian goalkeeper had one of his best years in 2017 when he was 44 years old. El Hadary replaced Ahmed El-Shenawy after he was injured in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations opening match. The experienced goalkeeper took the opportunity and was one of Egypt's key players until their defeat in the final against Cameroon.
A few months later, El Hadary was the goalkeeper in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers campaign, when Egypt qualified for the first time since 1990. Although he didn't play in the first two matches in Russia, he played in the last game against Saudi Arabia. In that match, at the age of 45, El Hadary became the oldest player to ever play in the World Cup.
Roger Milla (Cameroon, 1990 and 1994 World Cup)
Milla was a real late bloomer in the international scene. His first World Cup appearance in 1990 was in the sensational opening match against Argentina, at the age of 38. Six days later, Milla scored a brace against Romania and broke the record for the World Cup's oldest goalscorer. He added another brace against Colombia in the round of 16. He was the team's key player, as Cameroon was the first African team to reach the quarter-finals.
In 1994, Cameroon failed to repeat its success. The team was knocked out in the group stage and was thrashed 6-1 by Russia in the last match. However, Milla broke his record in that match by scoring the only goal. The 42-year-old record holder is one of the World Cup's all-time legends.
Jorge Dely Valdés (Panama, 2005 Gold Cup)
Talking about Panama in the 90s could be related only to the Dely Valdés brothers, who were the country's leading players. In 2005, the two older twin brothers, Julio and Jorge, were selected to Panama's Gold Cup squad at the age of 38. Julio was the captain, but Jorge became one of the leading players.
Panama has played against one of the guest teams in the quarter-finals, South Africa. Jorge Dely Valdés scored, Panama made a 1-1 draw and later won by penalty shootouts 5-3. He scored another goal in the semi-finals when Panama defeated Colombia 3-2. In its first-ever Gold Cup final, Panama thrilled the USA, and the score was goalless after 120 minutes. Unfortunately, Jorge Dely Valdés and two other players missed their kick, and Panama lost 3-1. Reaching the final in 2005 is still Panama's best achievement in the Gold Cup, which was repeated in 2013.
Gábor Király (Hungary, Euro 2016)
Not only Pandev had a chance to make something big in the 24-team Euro. Four years ago, Gábor Király was the oldest player in the tournament. The 40-year-old Hungarian goalkeeper played with the team that played their last Euro in 1972 and their last major tournament in 1986. After such a long absence, the Hungarians wanted to make a decent performance.
Király was remembered for wearing his grey tracksuit trousers. "I'm a goalie, not a top model," he explained his outfit. In the first match, he recorded a clean sheet against Austria, and later Hungary made another two draws against Iceland and Portugal. Hungary qualified to the knockout stage from the top of the group and was later eliminated by Belgium in the round of 16.
Paolo Guerrero (Peru, 2019 Copa América)
In 2019, Peru qualified for its first Copa América final since 1975, and the main player was Paolo Guerrero. He was 35 years old, the team's all-time top scorers, but he could never imagine that Peru will make such a tournament.
They began the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Venezuela and a 3-1 win against Bolivia, where he scored his first goal. Although being thrashed 5-0 by Brazil in the last matchday, Peru managed to qualify to the next stage. In the knockouts, Peru surprised Uruguay with a win by a penalty shootout and amazed the reigning champions Chile with a 3-0 win. Guerrero, who scored in the semi-finals, also scored in the final. Peru has lost 3-1 against Brazil, but Guerrero was selected to be one of the tournament's best players.
Thumbnail photo by Euro 2020 official Twitter
