Andorra captain ends international career after 26 years
After 26 years and 137 caps Ildefons Lima has played his last game for Andorra – ending the longest career in men’s international football.
The 43-year-old made his Andorra debut aged 17 in a 4-1 loss to Estonia in 1997, scoring in the nation’s second-ever official fixture.
He has played in every decade since and on Tuesday he started his final international match, a 3-0 defeat by Switzerland.
After 23 minutes he was substituted and was given a standing ovation by Swiss and Andorran supporters as he left the field.
He was replaced by Ricard Fernandez Betriu, a team-mate who was born almost two years after his international debut.
“Congratulations to Andorra’s Ildefons Lima on an incredible journey, the longest national team career ever,” European football’s governing body wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In 2021, Guinness World Records claimed Lima had achieved the longest international playing career.
The women’s record for the longest international career is held by former Brazil midfielder Formiga, 45, who played for 26 years between 1995-2021 and made 234 appearances.
Before the match against Switzerland, Lima called the fixture “the last dance” on a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lima became Andorra captain over a decade ago, representing a nation that has a population of just 79,000.
He has lost over 100 international matches. The Tricolours have only won seven competitive fixtures, the most recent being a 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in 2022 in the Nations League.
The centre-back is the third European footballer to be capped in four different decades, joining Welsh international Billy Meredith and Finland’s Jari Litmanen.
And this summer he became the oldest player to appear in a Uefa European Championship qualifier.
Lima is also Andorra’s record goalscorer, finding the net 11 times. Back in 2014 his sixth-minute penalty gave Andorra a shock lead against Wales before two Gareth Bale strikes helped Chris Coleman’s side scrape to a win.
He also scored the opener in a 3-1 loss to the Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifier in Dublin in 2001.
In 2020, the Andorran Football Federation removed him from the squad after he called for more Covid-19 testing for players.
After pressure from manager Koldo Alvarez and FIFpro he returned to the side the following year.
At club level he has represented Espanyol, Las Palmas and Rayo Vallecano in Spain, and is currently playing for FC Andorra B owned by ex-Spain defender Gerard Pique.