Oldest Nations League scorers: Luka Modrić leads Cristiano Ronaldo, Edin Džeko and Robert Lewandowski
Friday, October 9, 2026
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Luka Modrić has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo as the oldest player to score in the UEFA Nations League.
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Cristiano Ronaldo broke new ground in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League when he became the first 40-year-old to score in competition history, but Luka Modrić usurped his former Real Madrid team-mate in the league phase of the current edition.
We detail the oldest scorers in Nations League history.
Who are the oldest scorers in Nations League history?
41 years 17 days: Luka Modrić (Croatia) vs Czechia, 26/09/2026
40 years 123 days: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) vs Spain, 08/06/2025
39 years 246 days: Roy Chipolina (Gibraltar) vs Bulgaria, 23/09/2022
38 years 208 days: Edin Džeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) vs Germany, 11/10/2024
38 years 42 days: Robert Lewandowski (Poland) vs Romania, 02/10/2026
37 years 297 days: Konstantin Vassiljev (Estonia) vs Malta, 09/06/2022
37 years 247 days: Márcio Vieira (Andorra) vs Moldova, 14/06/2022
37 years 246 days: Ivan Perišić (Croatia) vs Spain, 06/10/2026
37 years 143 days: Michael Mifsud (Malta) vs Faroe Islands, 07/09/2018
37 years 76 days: Goran Pandev (North Macedonia) vs Estonia, 11/10/2020
Cristiano Ronaldo took control of this record in the 2024/25 season, claiming top spot in the league phase before extending his record in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, but Croatia maestro Luka Modrić moved ahead in the 2026/27 edition.
Modrić, who struck in his side's opening victory against Czechia, is one of three players on the list to have scored in the current campaign. The others are Croatia team-mate Ivan Perišić and Poland great Robert Lewandowski, who notched a hat-trick against Romania.
Who are the oldest scorers in the Nations League Finals?
40 years 123 days: Cristiano Ronaldo* (Portugal) vs Spain, 08/06/2025
37 years 278 days: Luka Modrić (Croatia) vs Netherlands, 14/06/2023
33 years 295 days: Karim Benzema* (France) vs Spain, 10/10/2021
33 years 115 days: Ciro Immobile (Italy) vs Spain, 15/06/2023
33 years 80 days: Joselu (Spain) vs Italy, 15/06/2023
32 years 219 days: Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands) vs Italy, 18/06/2023
31 years 360 days: Andrej Kramarić (Croatia) vs Netherlands, 14/06/2023
28 years 348 days: Mikel Merino (Spain) vs France, 05/06/2025
28 years 271 days: Bruno Petković (Croatia) vs Netherlands, 14/06/2023
28 years 147 days: Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) vs France, 07/10/2021
*Denotes scoring in a Nations League final
Four different goalscorers were required as Croatia defeated the Netherlands 4-2 in the 2023 Nations League semi-finals and, remarkably, all four of those players placed themselves among the ten oldest players to score at the finals stage at that time; three remain after Mikel Merino broke into the list in 2025.
Cristiano Ronaldo took top spot during Portugal's 2025 semi-final success against Germany and updated his record in the final against Spain.