Who are the oldest goalscorers in Premier League history? We look back at those players who aged like fine wine.
The Top 20 Oldest Premier League Scorers
Teddy Sheringham (West Ham vs Portsmouth, 26 December 2006) – 40 years, 268 days old
James Milner (Brighton vs Manchester City, 31 August 2025) – 39 years, 239 days old
Dean Windass (Hull City vs Portsmouth, 22 November 2008) – 39 years, 235 days old
Thiago Silva (Chelsea vs Sheffield United, 7 April 2024) – 39 years, 198 days old
Ashley Young (Everton vs Wolves, 4 December 2024) – 39 years, 148 days old
Ryan Giggs (Man Utd vs Queens Park Rangers, 23 February 2013) – 39 years, 86 days old
Stuart Pearce (West Ham vs Southampton, 25 November 2000) – 38 years, 215 days old
Graham Alexander (Burnley vs Hull City, 10 April 2010) – 38 years 182 days old
Mark Hughes (Blackburn Rovers vs Leicester City, 30 March 2002) – 38 years, 149 days old
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City vs Ipswich Town, 18 May 2025) – 38 years, 127 days old
Tugay (Blackburn Rovers vs Portsmouth, 30 November 2008) – 38 years, 98 days old
Mick Harford (Wimbledon vs West Ham, 18 March 1997) – 38 years, 34 days old
Gary Speed (Bolton Wanderers vs Reading, 25 August 2007) – 37 years, 351 days old
Peter Schmeichel (Aston Villa vs Everton, 20 October 1999) – 37 years, 336 days old
Paul Scholes (Man Utd vs Wigan Athletic, 15 September 2012) – 37 years, 304 days old
Les Ferdinand (Bolton Wanderers vs Man Utd, 11 September 2004) – 37 years, 278 days old
Kevin Phillips (Birmingham City vs Bolton Wanderers, 27 March 2011) – 37 years, 251 days old
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd vs Everton, 9 October 2022) – 37 years, 246 days old
Gudni Bergsson (Bolton Wanderers vs Everton, 28 January 2003) – 37 years, 191 days old
John Wark (Ipswich Town vs Blackburn Rovers, 28 January 1995) – 37 years, 177 days old
Teddy Sheringham – 40 years, 268 days old
West Ham vs Portsmouth, 26 December 2006
Teddy Sheringham is the oldest goalscorer in Premier League history. Aged 40 years and 268 days old, he scored his final Premier League goal for West Ham against Portsmouth on Boxing Day in 2006. It was the 146th strike in his glittering Premier League career, which covered spells at Tottenham, Manchester United, Portsmouth and finally, West Ham.
Not only does Sheringham hold the distinction of being the oldest Premier League scorer, but he’s also scored eight of the 11 ‘oldest’ Premier League goals in history, including all of the top four. He only gets credit on this list once, though.
James Milner – 39 years, 239 days old
Brighton vs Manchester City, 31 August 2025
Already a bona fide Premier League legend, James Milner stepped off the bench against former club Manchester City to put away a wonderfully cool penalty and take second place in the list of the oldest goalscorers in the competition’s history.
It is a remarkable achievement for a player already in his 24th season in the Premier League, even if this was his first goal since 2019-20, when he was still playing for Liverpool. He’ll have to make it into a 25th if he is to challenge Sheringham’s record.
Dean Windass – 39 years, 235 days old
Hull City vs Portsmouth, 22 November 2008
In what was the club’s first season ever in the top flight, Dean Windass became Hull City‘s oldest goalscorer when he bagged a late equaliser away at Portsmouth in the 2008-09 season. Funnily enough, fellow veteran David James was in goal that day as well.
The season prior, Windass scored the only goal of the Championship play-off final against Bristol City to send his hometown club up.
Windass, by now in the twilight of his career, only ever started one Premier League match for Hull: away at Manchester City on Boxing Day of 2008. Trailing 4-0 at half-time, manager Phil Brown infamously conducted his half-time team talk on the pitch. Hull went on to lose 5-1, so, hey, at least they drew the second half.
Despite failing to win any of their final 10 Premier League matches in 2008-09, Hull managed to avoid relegation by just a single point.
Thiago Silva – 39 years, 198 days old
Chelsea vs Sheffield United, 7 April 2024
Thiago Silva is the fourth-oldest goalscorer in Premier League history, steering in a corner from Conor Gallagher to open the scoring against Sheffield United in April 2024.
Despite that Sheffield United team being one of the poorest in Premier League history – conceding a record-breaking number of goals in the 2023-24 season – Chelsea conspired to throw away two leads in that game to draw 2-2.
Thiago Silva made 113 appearances for Chelsea over the span of four seasons between 2020 and 2024, and was one of their most consistent and composed performers in what was a tumultuous time for the club.
Ashley Young – 39 years, 148 days old
Everton vs Wolves, 4 December 2024
Ashley Young reached his half-century of Premier League goals midway through the 2024-25 season with a clever free-kick against Wolves.
Aged 39 years and 148 days old, Young curled his effort around the wall and into the bottom corner from 25 yards to put Everton up in a crunch game at the bottom of the table. It was a good night for Everton, who went on to win 4-0, with Wolves defender Craig Dawson becoming the fifth player in Premier League history to score more than one own goal in a game.
Young’s half-century of Premier League goals was particularly notable because he became only the sixth player ever to reach the landmark without scoring a single header, after Thierry Henry, Kevin De Bruyne, Damien Duff, Peter Beardsley and James Maddison. All but one of Young’s were scored with his right foot (one left-footed).
Ryan Giggs – 39 years, 86 days old
Man Utd vs Queens Park Rangers, 23 February 2013
Ryan Giggs holds the record for the most Premier League assists, and is in the top three for the most Premier League appearances of all time, but he can’t quite crack the podium in this category.
Giggs scored his last Premier League goal against Queens Park Rangers in February 2013 aged 39 and 86 days old. His strike moved Manchester United 15 points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League table, and they would not relinquish such a dominant position, winning the title in what was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final year in charge.
Just over a year later, after David Moyes’ unsuccessful 10-month spell at the helm, Giggs took over as the club’s interim player-manager, winning two, drawing one and losing one of the final four games of the 2013–14 season.
When Louis van Gaal was announced as Moyes’ permanent replacement, Giggs was also appointed as Van Gaal’s assistant manager.
Giggs still holds the record for the most Premier League titles won as a player with 13. That is a record that looks unbeatable.
Oldest Player to Score a Premier League Hat-Trick
Teddy Sheringham is the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League. He scored three goals against Bolton Wanderers for Portsmouth in August 2003, at the age of 37 years and 146 days.
Cristiano Ronaldo came close to beating Sheringham’s record, scoring two hat-tricks in 2021-22 for Manchester United in his first season back at the club. The second, against Norwich City, came with Ronaldo just 76 days off the record.
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