Grandpa in his seventies plays for a team 63 years younger

Alexander Ivanovich Medvedev has written his name into Russian football history by becoming the oldest player ever to feature in the Russian Cup at the remarkable age of 70. In the match between Amkal and Salyut Belgorod in the “Path of Regions” stage of the Cup, Medvedev was named in the starting lineup, played 23 minutes, and then left the field, but that short spell was enough to set a unique record.

While most fans know Medvedev as a long-time sports executive and former chairman of Zenit St. Petersburg, few expected to see him actually step onto the pitch at such an advanced age. A graduate of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and a respected figure in management, Medvedev has always been deeply connected to football, and this appearance demonstrated how far his passion for the game truly goes.

By playing in this match, he broke a record that had stood for two decades. The previous holder was Vladimir Tumaev, who appeared in the Russian Cup in 2005 at the age of 58 years and 136 days. Medvedev has pushed that milestone forward by more than ten years, setting a new benchmark of 70.

Speaking after the game, he made clear that his ambitions extend beyond Russia: “Now I need to break the world record — there are still three and a half years to go.” That is a reference to Egyptian footballer Ezzeldin Bahader, who entered the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest professional footballer when he played at the age of 74.

With this achievement, Medvedev joins a very small group of players who defied the limits of age in professional football. Japan’s Kazuyoshi Miura is still playing well into his mid-50s, England’s Stanley Matthews famously played until he was 50, Italy’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Dino Zoff remained active at 41, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic only recently retired at the same age.

Medvedev’s short appearance was not about goals or statistics, but about passion, perseverance, and proving that love for the game can outlast the years. His name will now forever be linked with one of football’s most extraordinary records, and if he manages to follow through on his ambition, the whole world could soon witness him surpass even the global mark.