There are world stars who, despite their age, are still the talk of the town. Some examples are Cristiano Ronaldowho is about to turn 39; Lionel Messi, 36 years old; and, without going that far, the captain of the Peruvian team Paolo Guerrero, 40 years old. However, there are footballers who do not enjoy great fame but have not yet given up their game, like the Japanese Kazuyoshi Miura, who will turn 56 in February 2024. However, a Uruguayan surpasses him, even coaches like “Pep” Guardiola (52) and José Mourinho (60). Is about Robert Carmonathe legend.
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Con 61 years The Uruguayan midfielder, who is almost 62 years old, is still on the field and has the distinction of wearing his age on the shirt number of each team he defends. With long, gray hair and sometimes a gray beard, Carmona holds the Guinness record for the oldest active female player in the world.
Robert Carmona is the captain of CD Iraklis. Photo: Instagram/@carmonalaleyenda
Who is Robert Carmona?
He was born in Montevideo April 30, 1962 and at the age of 10 he suffered a serious blow when his father, who before his death had asked him to become a football player, died. “I think I have fulfilled it,” he commented to Infobae a few years ago. He debuted in 1976 and has played more than 2,200 games. Robert started as a midfielder and never left his position; Furthermore, due to his long career, he cannot remember exactly how many teams he defended. “I'm confused, is it 48 or 47?. “There are some that are no longer around, because in the United States when you buy a team and it does poorly, it gets sold, someone else buys it, they change the name and it no longer exists,” he said in one Interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca in 2023.
Robert Carmona with the Club Moncada de Barcelona jersey in 2021. Photo: Instagram/@carmonalaleyenda
The midfielder has demonstrated his talent in his home country, Spain, the USA and Italy. Among the most notable clubs are Liverpool de Montevideo, River Plate Asunción and La Luz, a team with which he achieved another Guinness by being the player with the longest gap between stages of a club: 24 years since he took his first step between 1984 and 1984 made – 85 and returned in 2009. “I played in a club when I was 18 and played again in the same club when I was 50. I played with a football player and I also played with his grandfather when he was 17,” he tells an anecdote.
Currently, in the 2023/24 season, Carmona is defending the team's jersey. CD Heraklis from Alicante, Spain, from the fourth division of Spanish football.
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Robert Carmona and his fight for the Guinness Records
As mentioned, Robert Carmona holds the title of the oldest active player in the world, but he had to fight to be recognized. “I don't know how I managed to get the award because Guinness's great discrimination against my work was so, so, so cruel that it took me four years. It was very hard because of this problem,” he commented to Marca. “You asked me for evidence and receipts. I sent everything and then they lost it. The funniest thing is that they lost it. For the first time in history I managed to send a Guinness judge to Uruguay, which cost $20,000,” he commented. He was finally awarded the award in 2010.
Robert Carmona holds two Guinness records. Photo: Instagram/@carmonalaleyenda