Former Cameroon striker Roger Milla has disclosed that his record as the oldest goalscorer at the Fifa World Cup will be very difficult to beat but it is not impossible to achieve.
Milla etched his name in the record books on June 28, 1994, after scoring his country’s only goal in their 6-1 loss to Russia in their final group fixture in USA ’94.
With Cameroon trailing by 3-0 at Stanford Stadium, 42-year-old Milla replaced Louis Mfede just before the start of the second half, and he found the back of the net a minute later.
Although the strike was not enough to save the Central African country from defeat, it was a memorable goal in football history that is still remembered 26 years later.
Milla enjoyed a successful international career with Cameroon, playing in three World Cup tournaments and winning two Africa Cup of Nations titles, and he rates the Indomitable Lions’ quarter-final berth at the 1990 World Cup in Italy as one of his most satisfying feats.
“Very, very pleased, as you could see in my celebration, even though we ended up losing the match. I’m still very proud of it today,” Milla told Fifa website.
“To my mind, that goal and that record showed the people who doubted me that I still had it in me, despite my age.
“Physically, I wasn’t 100 per cent, but I still had my technique. It’s a lovely record.
“It’s a fine individual achievement but nothing gave me more satisfaction than helping Cameroon reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1990.
“That was historic for our country and our continent.”
