Lionel Messi breaks 68-year World Cup Record | OneFootball

Lionel Messi added another landmark to his extraordinary career on Sunday by becoming the oldest outfield player ever to appear in a World Cup final.

The Argentina captain, aged 39, started against Spain at New York New Jersey Stadium in the 2026 final, surpassing Sweden's Gunnar Gren, who was 37 when he played in the 1958 final.

The overall record for the oldest player to feature in a World Cup final remains with Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who was 40 when Italy won the tournament in 1982.

Messi also became just the second player in football history to appear in three World Cup finals, joining Brazil legend Cafu, who featured in the finals of 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Later in the match, Nicolas Otamendi also entered the history books. The 38-year-old defender replaced the injured Lisandro Martínez and overtook Gren to become the second-oldest outfield player to appear in a World Cup final, behind only his Argentina teammate Messi.

Oldest players to play in a World Cup final: