Robert Carmona, football's oldest-ever player: Still starting aged 59 with no plans to retire....

Robert Carmona can boast being the oldest player in football history.

Next month, Carmona will turn 60 years old and he's still playing official matches. The Guinness Book of Records have officially validated this, which is no mean feat, given the amount of documentation involved in being included on their lists. It took Carmona four years to gain this recognition. Not having been a top-level player didn't help him in his task

The process began back in 2010 when, encouraged by his daughter, Carmona began to send documents such as his birth certificate, photographs and match details to Guinness' team. Eventually, their ambassadors visited Uruguay to present him with his certificate.

His career clocks in at an impressive 45 active years, with 30 clubs on his CV and around 2,200 official games played. Perhaps most impressively of all, he's never stopped playing, but even he's not sure how he's managed it.

"In football history, there have been maybe 10 or 15 old players, but most of them stopped playing and then joined some club years later," said Carmona.

"In my case, I've been playing without interruption since I began my professional career in 1976.

"I can't give an easy answer as to the secret for my longevity. There are several factors: a good diet, discipline in training, avoiding being lazy, alcohol and drugs, and, despite having had a difficult life since childhood, I have always maintained a very positive attitude.

"You need a strong conviction, to believe that dreams come true if you aim for something. In my life there's no such thing as 'can't'. I feel like I've been given a gift and I haven't wasted it. I feel very alive and have the energy of a youngster."

Carmona takes his career seriously, and always has, with such longevity only being possible thanks to supreme commitment to his trade. He says he hasn't gone out partying since he was 16, but he's proud to be different from many other players.

At 59 years old, the Uruguayan is now at the stage of his career where he is not only older than all of his teammates but also many of his coaches. Retiring is not on the horizon, however, and he doesn't much like even talking about the possibility.

"When they ask me about [retiring], it annoys me a bit... I say, what would I retire for?" explained Carmona.

"I'm a chosen one, a living legend. I became the oldest active player in the world and I'll keep going. I feel like a 25-year-old. Retirement isn't on my mind.

"I want my career to be a message to people. You only get one life and we have to show we can live better, have a quality life. Carmona's going nowhere!".

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