Harry Diamond
Often regarded as the most competitive and demanding domestic league in world football, it takes a unique type of player to perform in the Premier League well into the latter stages of their career.
This season has seen several evergreen stars continue to shine at the highest level in English football, proving they can still cut it with the very best the Premier League has to offer.
We’ve picked out some of those to have made an impression, here are the five oldest goalscorers from the 2020/21 Premier League season so far:
Jamie Vardy – 33 years, 344 days
Leicester‘s talismanic number nine remains one of the best in the business when it comes to converting chances, with Vardy once again amongst the Premier League’s leading scorers after becoming the oldest winner of the division’s Golden Boot last season.
The Foxes forward recently celebrated his 34th birthday and ranks fifth amongst the Premier League’s oldest goalscorers of the current campaign, having netted against Spurs in December before undergoing surgery to correct a persistent hip injury.
Vardy’s goal against the north Londoners was his 11th in just 16 league starts this season, with only Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min having netted more across the entire division.
Despite his advancing years, Vardy remains the key figure in Leicester’s hopes of a top-four finish, and Brendan Rodgers will hope to have the club’s leading scorer fit and firing over the second half of the season as he seeks to bring Champions League football back to the King Power Stadium.
Olivier Giroud – 34 years, 89 days
Another veteran who continues to exert his influence on one of the Premier League’s best sides, Olivier Giroud has battled back to regain favour at Chelsea once more this season.
The France international has spent time on the periphery in west London but has rarely disappointed when handed an opportunity, scoring nine goals in just eight starts in all competitions this season, including a sensational four-goal haul against Sevilla which saw him become the oldest hat-trick scorer in Champions League history.
Giroud has scored three league goals for the campaign with his most recent coming aged 34 years and 89 days, making him the fourth oldest goalscorer in the Premier League so far this season.
Frank Lampard’s departure as manager means the experienced star will need to prove his worth at Chelsea once more, Giroud hopeful of ousting Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner to become the first-choice centre-forward of the Thomas Tuchel regime.
Joao Moutinho – 34 years, 147 days
Joao Moutinho’s blockbuster effort against Arsenal this week ranks him third on this list, the Portugal international unleashing a stunning effort from distance to secure struggling Wolves a vital three points at Molineux.
Moutinho’s name has been a rarity when it comes to the scoresheet since moving to Wolves having netted just one league goal in each of the past two campaigns, his strike against the Gunners remarkably his first on home soil since moving to the Premier League.
The 34-year-old has been amongst Portugal’s finest footballers of a generation and trails only Cristiano Ronaldo for caps at international level, the touch and technique which have defined his game remaining intact as he continues to pull strings at the highest level.
Joao Moutinho pulls one right out of the top drawer 😍
A magnificent long-range strike from Wolves' midfield maestro 🐺 pic.twitter.com/mFfexaV3jY
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 2, 2021
Wolves will need Moutinho to be at his best as they bid to come through a difficult period of late, the victory over Arsenal their first in nine league games following a stuttering run of performances.
Billy Sharp – 34 years, 363 days
Billy Sharp has contributed to Sheffield United’s upturn in results in recent weeks with vital winning goals in victories over Newcastle and West Brom, the boyhood Blades’ strike against the Baggies this week coming just two days before his 35th birthday.
Sharp is now in this third spell at Bramall Lane and has scored 97 goals in 217 appearances since returning to the club five-and-a-half years ago, whilst his winning goals over the past month have offered Chris Wilder’s struggling side the faintest hopes of survival following a torrid season so far.
The 34-year-old may not be physically the same player he was a decade ago, but the ‘fox in the box’ instincts that have seen Sharp score almost 250 career goals have not deserted the veteran poacher.
The boys enjoyed that one. 😍
Billy Sharp doing what Billy Sharp does. pic.twitter.com/i5dmTMxUbw
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) February 2, 2021
However, Sheffield United will need more telling contributions from the club captain if they are to complete what would be the Premier League’s greatest ever escape from relegation.
Thiago Silva – 36 years, 90 days
Many doubted the wisdom in Chelsea signing Thiago Silva on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, a player with undoubted pedigree but one who turned 36 during the opening weeks of the season.
Silva has proven, however, that there is plenty left in the tank of a defender who captained PSG to the Champions League final last season, proving a valuable member of the Chelsea squad and adding much-needed leadership and quality to the backline.
📊 At 36 years & 90 days, Thiago Silva is Chelsea's 2nd oldest scorer v West Ham in PL after Glenn Hoddle (36 years & 150 days) in March 1994 pic.twitter.com/OsPFwQJx1K
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) December 21, 2020
The Brazil international has been solid defensively and contributed further forward with two goals, including a brilliant header against West Ham in December aged 36 years and 90 days.
That goal makes Silva comfortably the oldest goalscorer in the Premier League so far this season, a huge 457 days older than the second-placed Sharp.
Read – Thomas Tuchel is a good tactical fit for Chelsea – but that may not be enough to guarantee success
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