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At 43 years and 276 days, Ildefons Lima is the oldest player to ever take part in a European Championship qualifier
After 26 years and 137 international matches, Ildefons Lima played his last game for Andorra, ending the longest career in international football.
The 43-year-old made his Andorra debut aged 17 in a 4-1 defeat against Estonia in 1997, scoring in the country’s second ever official game.
He has played in every decade since and on Tuesday he started his final international match, a 3-0 loss to Switzerland.
He was substituted after 23 minutes and received a standing ovation from the Swiss and Andorran fans as he left the pitch.
He was replaced by Ricard Fernandez Betriu, a teammate born almost two years after his international debut.
Before the game against Switzerland, Lima described the game as “the last dance” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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Lima has scored international goals against Belgium, the Republic of Ireland and Wales
Lima captained Andorra more than a decade ago, representing a nation of just 79,000 people.
He has lost over 100 international matches. The Tricolors have only won seven competitive games, most recently a 2-0 win against Liechtenstein in the 2022 Nations League.
The centre-back is the third European footballer to be capped in four different decades, joining Wales international Billy Meredith and Finland’s Jari Litmanen.
And this summer he became the oldest player ever to take part in a UEFA European Championship qualifier.
Lima is also Andorra’s record goalscorer, scoring eleven times. In 2014, his sixth-minute penalty gave Andorra a surprise lead against Wales, before two goals from Gareth Bale helped Chris Coleman’s side win.
At club level, he has represented Espanyol, Las Palmas and Rayo Vallecano in Spain and currently plays for FC Andorra B, owned by former Spanish defender Gerard Pique.
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Andorra’s captain and his collection of 600 jerseys
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