Andorran defender, Ildefons Lima has finally retired from international football as the player with the longest career in the history of men’s international football.
He played his last game for Andorra national team on Tuesday, September 12, against Switzerland which ended in a 3-0 defeat for his country.
Ildefons Lima started the game and was substituted after 23 minutes by Ricard Fernandez Betriu, who was born about two years after he made his international debut.
The game marked his 137 international games in 26 years of men’s international football.
Ildefons Lima who is currently 43-year-old made his national team debut at the age of 17 in 1997. During the game, Andorra fell 4-1 to Estonia in the nation’s second-ever game.
He has since played at least a game in the last three decades as the Guinness World Records credited him with having the longest international playing career in 2021.
Over ten years ago, Lima was appointed captain of Andorra, a country with a population of only 79,000.
Since he made his debut, almost three decades ago, Ildefons Lima has led Andorra to 100 defeats. The Tricolors have only triumphed in seven competitive games, with their most recent victory being in the Nations League in 2022 against Liechtenstein by a score of 2-0.
The centre-back who is currently playing for FC Andorra B scored 11 international goals before he retired.
The 45-year-old former Brazil midfielder Formiga, who played for 26 years between 1995 and 2021 and made 234 appearances, currently holds the record for the longest international career for women.
