As the saying goes, there is no substitute for experience and that is absolutely true of the ten players celebrated below. Between them, these high-achieving stalwarts of English football made 2655 Premier League appearances, and hundreds more in the old First Division.
They won 18 Premier League titles, four Champions Leagues, and so many domestic trinkets their cleaners go through a can of Pledge every week. Individually, their contributions to the game was immense.
Oldest Premier League Goal Scorers
- Teddy Sheringham – 40 years and 264 days
- Dean Windass – 39 years and 231 days
- Ryan Giggs – 39 years and 85 days
- Thiago Silva – 39 years and 51 days
- Stuart Pearce – 38 years and 211 days
- Graham Alexander – 38 years and 180 days
- Mark Hughes – 38 years and 150 days
- Tugay – 38 years and 99 days
- Mick Harford – 38 years and 35 days
- Gary Speed – 37 years and 351 days
Moreover, their legacies were fulfilled from beginning to end because not for them a dip into the lower leagues when their pace slowed and their legs wearied.
Instead they retired on a high, still scoring in the top-flight at an age when the rest of us start weighing up slippers and wondering what that walking football fuss is all about.
10) Gary Speed
‘Speedo’ was loved by the fans of each club he played for and wholly admired by everybody else.
An honest, fully-committed midfielder who always put in a shift, he also had guile to spare along with a passing range that would have seen him tagged a ‘flair’ player if deployed further forward.
He was good for a goal too, with treble figures reached by the time he drew a distinguished 22-year career to a close.
In August 2007 he scored his last in the too-flight, a thumping header for Bolton putting them in front against Reading.
Four years later we woke to news that is still hard to comprehend.
9) Mick Harford
It was the stare. That’s what defenders have said since, presumably in silhouette on camera to retain their anonymity.
When the hardest man in modern-day football glared at towering, battle-hardened centre-backs they tended to turn to jelly and find any excuse to drift over to the wings.
A targetman forged from the old-school, Harford’s career was 15 years deep by the time the Premier League came around, making his debut for Wimbledon in 1994.
By then, with age catching up with him, he was an auxiliary midfielder almost, but against West Ham in his final season he ventured forward for old time’s sake.
The Hammers defence backed off naturally.
8) Tugay
The deep-lying playmaker’s long-range screamers for Blackburn deserve to be compiled and screened as an art installation at the National Gallery. Each and every one was a banger.
Suitably then, the Turkish schemer’s final goal in England came from distance, though in this instance it relied more on cunning than power.
With a Portsmouth defender screening most of the goal from the seasoned veteran, he poked a daisy-cutter towards the near post.
It tempted David James enough to dive full-stretch but he was never getting there.
7) Mark Hughes
The bustling Welsh striker who out-muscled back-lines for Manchester United and Chelsea, largely with his generous rump, was no more in the early 2000s.
In his place was a combative midfielder used sparingly by Blackburn, a player approaching his forties and on the cusp of moving into management.
Against Leicester in 2002 however, the legendary forward rolled back the years, converting with a trademark header and what’s the betting he briefly wondered if another season wasn’t beyond him.
6) Graham Alexander
Alexander’s consistency and longevity was little short of remarkable, the midfielder racking up over a thousand professional outings for Preston, Burnley and others. In only a handful or less did he disappoint.
All of which made it especially gratifying when the Scot finally made it to the big-time, playing a pivotal role in the Clarets getting promoted and then captaining them throughout their first campaign in the top-flight for a generation.
Aptly, it was a brace of penalties that concluded his goal-scoring for that season, his only one spent at the highest level. Alexander was a spot-kick specialist of some renown.
5) Stuart Pearce
On November 25th, 2000, ‘Psycho’ fired home a pen for West Ham in a 3-2 away win at Southampton but that’s not the bigger story here. Or at least that’s not the amusing tale to tell.
The revered left-back then left the Hammers for a swan-song at Manchester City and with Kevin Keegan’s swashbuckling ‘entertainers’ ripping up the Championship that year they went into the final day already crowned as champions.
In the fourth minute of injury-time the Blues were awarded a penalty, and with Pearce stuck on 99 career goals, and this being his final ever professional outing, the ball was duly handed to him.
Portsmouth keeper Dave Beasant reputedly told the England legend which way he planned to dive.
Pearce blasted his spot-kick over the bar.
4) Thiago Silva
The most recent entry onto his hallowed list, Silva’s 29th minute equaliser against Manchester City last term at Stamford Bridge was a harbinger of the madness to come.
City were strong favourites in the Premier League betting to win a fourth consecutive title, something they ultimately achieved. Chelsea meanwhile were in the doldrums, a club entrenched in crisis.
Few could have foreseen a crazy 4-4 draw, and perhaps it was this that overshadowed the Brazilian scoring at such a ripe vintage.
3) Ryan Giggs
The Welsh flyer’s first goal for Manchester United arrived in a Manchester derby way back in 1991. His last helped defeat QPR at Loftus Road in February 2013.
In between, Giggs won 35 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles. He went from being a poster-boy, famed for his youthful adventure to a wizened veteran, admired for being a model pro.
In between both goals a multitude of footballers were born, grew up, signed their first contracts and went on to play for their countries.
2) Dean Windass
Having scored the goal – a spectacular one at that – which secured Hull City’s top-flight status courtesy of the Play-Offs, Windass reluctantly took a back seat at the Tigers fought a relegation campaign in 2008/09.
Eventually growing tired of warming the bench, the veteran opted to join Oldham Athletic on loan post-Christmas but not before notching a late equaliser at Portsmouth.
It was a 199th career goal for the well-travelled frontman.
1) Teddy Sheringham
Only five players have turned out in the Premier League past the age of forty and only one of them have scored beyond that landmark. Perhaps it’s apt that it’s a forward who looked middle-aged when he was in his prime.
With his languid and intelligent brand of forwarding, Sheringham was destined to remain at the top throughout his career and after blasting multiple goals for Spurs and Manchester United, he slotted home his last for West Ham on Boxing Day 2006.
Rumours that he required deep heat after running off in celebration are unconfirmed to this day.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
