Kazuyoshi Miura, known as 'King Kazu', scored for Fukushima United against Iwaki Furukawa in the Emperor's Cup on 25 July 2026 at the age of 59 years and 149 days, extending his record as the oldest goalscorer in professional football. The goal came in a 7-0 victory, marking his first competitive goal in nearly four years.
Oldest Goalscorers in Football History
The oldest goalscorer on record is Ezzeldin Bahader, who scored a penalty on his debut for 6th of October SC in the Egyptian Third Division in March 2020 at 74 years and 125 days. In men's professional football, Miura leads, followed by Innocent Benza, who scored for Herentals College FC in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League at 51 years and 5 days. Billy Meredith scored for Manchester City at 49 years and 208 days in 1924, and Stanley Matthews for Stoke City at 49 years and 14 days in 1964. In women's football, Formiga scored for Brazil against Canada in November 2019 at 41 years and 249 days.
UK Prime Ministers' Football Allegiances
Andy Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer as Labour leader, is an Everton supporter. The list of post-1945 prime ministers and their clubs includes: Keir Starmer (Arsenal), Rishi Sunak (Southampton), Liz Truss (Norwich City), David Cameron (Aston Villa), Gordon Brown (Raith Rovers), Tony Blair (Newcastle United), John Major (Chelsea), Edward Heath (Burnley), Harold Wilson (Huddersfield Town), and Clement Attlee (Fleet Town). No club has been supported by more than one prime minister in this period.
Top-Flight W Teams in England
The 2026-27 Premier League season is the first with no men's top-flight team beginning with 'W'. The last time this occurred in the old First Division was in 1985-86 after Birmingham City's relegation. In women's football, there were no 'W' teams between Watford's relegation in 2009-10 and West Ham's promotion in 2018-19.
Uniteds Formed by Mergers
Several clubs using 'United' in their name were formed by mergers. Examples include: Scunthorpe United (formed from Brumby Hall and an unknown team, later merging with Lindsey United), Hereford United (merger of St Martins and RAOC Rotherwas), Torquay United (merger of Torquay Town and Babbacombe), Maidenhead United (merger of Maidenhead Norfolkians and Maidenhead FC), Sutton United (merger of Sutton Association and Sutton Guild Rovers), Ebbsfleet United (merger of Gravesend United and Northfleet United), Hayes and Yeading United (merger of Hayes and Yeading), Chesham United (merger of Chesham Town and Chesham Generals), and Aylesbury United (merger of three local sides).
