Andorra captain Ildefons Lima ends longest international career
Ildefons Lima has played his last game for Andorra – ending the longest career in men’s international football after 26 years and 137 caps.
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,” Uefa wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In 2021, Guinness World Records claimed Lima had achieved the longest international playing career.
Lima became Andorra captain more than a decade ago, representing a nation that has a population of just 79,000.
He has lost more than 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 European Championship qualifier.
Lima is also Andorra’s record goalscorer, finding the net 11 times.
