Oldest goalscorers in European Championship history

In the eyes of many, football has always been a young man's game and passing the age of 30 is often seen as a watershed for a player's prime years.

However, this century has seen a steady increase of players in their mid-30s continue to perform at the highest level of the beautiful game.

While a touch of genetic luck and strict self-discipline certainly help, modern advances in sports science, nutrition and fitness have made it possible for several players to hold their own against rivals half their age.

Football fans across the globe have recently been mesmerised by the emergence of some highly-rated teenage talents such as Spanish duo Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi to name just a couple, but iconic veterans including Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric continue to strut their stuff on the world’s biggest stages.

Euro 2024 was a record-breaking tournament in more ways that one, and here Sports Mole takes a look at the current top-five oldest scorers in European Championship history.

Who are the oldest goalscorers in Euros history?

5. Gareth McAuley, Northern Ireland (36y 194d)

The only defender in the top five, Northern Ireland centre-back Gareth McAuley scored one of the biggest goals in Northern Irish history eight years ago, netting against Ukraine at Euro 2016 aged 36 years and 194 days.

Chris Brunt delivered a teasing set piece from deep on the left towards the back post, allowing McAuley to power through the penalty area and crash a header over the helpless Andriy Pyatov.

Niall McGinn added a second to secure Northern Ireland's first ever win at the European Championship, crowning a truly vintage period for the British Isles' smallest nation.

McAuley came back to the UK and played out two more seasons, one at West Bromwich Albion and another at Rangers, before calling it a day aged 38.

4. Zoltan Gera, Hungary (37y 62d)

Another West Bromwich Albion veteran, Zoltan Gera scored a surprise opener against eventual champions Portugal at Euro 2016 for Hungary.

The Magyars played out a back-and-forth 3-3 draw in a frenetic game, but Gera's opener was the pick of the bunch. Portugal failed to adequately clear a Hungarian corner and the ball dropped to Gera, who cut across itl with his weaker left foot.

By luck or skill, that sent the ball fading perfectly into the bottom-right corner beyond a helpless Rui Patricio. Gera was aged 37 years and 62 days at the time, and had returned to Ferencvaros in his home country when he scored.

The draw was essential to Hungary clinching top spot in their group, for what was their best performance at the Euros in over 40 years.

3. Goran Pandev, North Macedonia (37y 322d)

One of the most romantic things about international football is how players from smaller nations can drag their countries to the biggest stages.

Welsh winger Gareth Bale is one prominent example of course, but a less well-known one is Goran Pandev, and his single-minded determination to take North Macedonia to the Euros.

Pandev is his nation's record appearance-maker and goalscorer, and like Ronaldo, he has served his national team for two decades. The former Inter Milan striker's goals fired North Macedonia to the 2020 Euros, and he then scored against Austria in a 3-1 defeat, aged 37 years and 322 days.

Pandev retired from international duty after the tournament, but played one more season in Italy, appearing for Genoa and Parma.

2. Ivica Vastic, Austria (38y 257d)

Second in the list is the relatively little-known Ivica Vastic, who scored co-host Austria's first-ever European Championship goal in 2008, when he was aged 38 years and 257 days.

Vastic was a shock inclusion in the Austria squad, having not been selected since 2005, but given that he had scored a crucial goal at the 1998 World Cup when he equalised against Chile, the intent to make him an 'impact substitute' did make some sense.

He certainly made an impact; with defeat looming, Vastic scored a crucial equaliser against Poland in the 93rd minute, slotting a penalty away from Artur Boruc.

Vastic broke the existing record for the oldest scorer by over four years, overtaking Portugal striker Nene.

he Yugoslavian-born striker would play one more season at club level after the tournament, scoring five more goals for LASK Linz in the Austrian Bundesliga, but this record-breaking strike was his one and only goal at the Euros.

1. Luka Modric, Croatia (38y 289d)

Having helped to guide Croatia to a World Cup final and a third-placed finish during his legendary career, Euro 2024 was expected to be Luka Modric's last hurrah at a major international tournament.

Despite their success on the world stage, Croatia had never progressed past the quarter-finals at a Euros, and had not even made it that far since 2008 prior to their trip to Germany.

However, they looked on course to reach the last 16 when Modric netted a record-breaking strike to give them a lead in their final group game against Italy, firing into the roof of the net after Gianluigi Donnarumma had brilliantly denied Ante Budimir.

It capped a crazy minute of action for Modric, who had seen a penalty saved by Donnarumma moments before becoming the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history.

That was not the end of his rollercoaster of emotions that day, though, as Italy scored an equaliser in the last minute of stoppage time to send them through to the last 16 at Croatia's expense.