The Oldest Footballers in the World: Kazuyoshi Miura and Robert Carmona | OneFootball

The famed Japanese forward and the lesser-known Uruguayan defender are 58 and 63 years old, respectively. Both continue to go strong and have witnessed the world of soccer change dramatically over the course of their long careers.

Age is a state of mind, and Kazuyoshi Miura and Robert Carmona refuse to let society’s perceptions take them away from the game they love. Their stories are intertwined: while many around the world believe Miura is the oldest active soccer player at 58, it’s actually the 63-year-old Carmona who holds that honor. In addition, the Uruguayan holds the Guinness World Record for the longest professional soccer career.

Carmona and Miura have played in five different decades, with the former debuting in 1980 and the latter in 1986. While Carmona’s playing career has remained modest compared to Miura’s international fame, both have been true journeymen.

King Kazu

Ben Radford /Allsport

Miura, a skilled and crafty forward, began his career in Brazil, as Japan didn’t yet have a professional league at the time. At 15, he signed with a youth club in São Paulo, a city known for its thriving Japanese population, and four years later he’d make his pro debut with Santos.

He also played for Palmeiras, Matsubara, and other Brazilian clubs from 1986 to 1990, before returning home and starring for Verdy Kawasaki, becoming one of the faces of the nascent J-League.

Miura became the first Japanese player to appear in Serie A with Genoa in 1994. His career would also take him to Dinamo Zagreb, Sydney FC, Oliveirense, and more. Today, he’s still going at Atlético Suzuka Club in the fourth tier of the Japanese football league system.

Miura built his legacy as a lively, intelligent forward whose game combined sharp positioning with quick, skillful dribbling runs. Never the most physically imposing, he made up for it with an instinctive sense of space, a composed finishing touch, and the charismatic confidence that energized his teams. Even as age caught up, Miura’s professionalism and work ethic kept him relevant — he embodies a rare blend of old-school street football instincts and disciplined training that has made him an icon across generations.

Sadly, Miura never played in a World Cup for Japan but did earn 89 caps and scored 55 goals, making him the country’s second all-time leading scorer. He scored 14 times during qualification for the 1998 World Cup but was shockingly left off the final squad.

Miura won six titles with Japan and lifted 16 trophies at the club level.

Robert Carmona: A Man on a Mission

Carmona, on the other hand, is known for his never-give-up mentality. He began his playing career in 1980 with Liverpool of Montevideo. Carmona never played for Uruguay’s top clubs but managed to compete in Canada, the United States, Spain, El Salvador, Paraguay, Argentina, and Italy. According to various sources, Carmona has played for around 30 clubs and featured in over 2,000 matches.

In the United States, he suited up for the Philadelphia KiXX, an indoor team in the now-defunct National Professional Soccer League. Currently, he is still playing for Nuevo Casabó, a team in the fourth division of Uruguayan soccer.

On his Instagram account, Carmona uses the hashtag #HayCarmonaParaRato, meaning “There’s Carmona for a long time yet.”

The World Spins On

When Miura and Carmona first started playing, the world was a completely different place. Today’s footballing landscape is unrecognizable compared to that of the ’80s.

France and Spain had never lifted the World Cup trophy, now they’re modern giants. England’s top flight rebranded itself as the Premier League in 1992 and turned into a global TV juggernaut. That same year, the European Cup became the UEFA Champions League.

Both players saw the folding of the NASL — twice — in addition to the birth of MLS and the J-League.

Legends that have came and went since they debuted include Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazário, Ronaldinho, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Francesco Totti, Iker Casillas, Wayne Rooney, and plenty more.

While Carmona never made the Uruguayan national team, the nation’s revival and return to relevance under Óscar Tabárez happened during his career as well, and the Celeste have hoisted three Copa America trophies (1987, 1995, and 2011) during his time on the pitch.

When each footballer debuted, VAR was just a random assortment of letters, and super agents, influencer deals, and social media followings were decades away.

Beyond football, there’s been an even bigger shift in the world during the careers of Miura and Carmona. The Cold War ended, and the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Nelson Mandela was freed from prison. The European Union was born. It’s hard to believe these landmark events, complete with grainy footage and network news coverage, happened during the careers of active footballers.

Pop culture moments during their careers sound even more ridiculous: the rise and fall of MTV, countless fashion trends coming and going, and the evolution of VHS to DVD to Blu-ray and now streaming. Music genres du jour included synth-pop, grunge, nu metal, rap, and EDM.

All the while, Miura and Carmona were somewhere on a pitch, getting paid to play football.