Dan Burn joins list of England's oldest World Cup debutants

As FIFA World Cup debuts go, helping England to victory over Mexico in the iconic Azteca Stadium is undoubtedly one to be proud of.

When Dan Burn strode onto the pitch as a 75th-minute substitute for what was his first appearance at the tournament, his performance for the last 15 minutes as England saw out the contest to win 3-2 saw the Newcastle United defender earn a number of plaudits.

With his six clearances, two blocks and a 100 per cent success rate in aerial challenges and duels, Burn provided just what was needed as Thomas Tuchel’s team progressed into the quarter-finals.

And there’s another significant note to add, as 34-year-old Burn’s appearance saw him become the oldest outfield player to make his World Cup bow for England since Stanley Matthews debuted against Spain in the 1950 edition of the FIFA World Cup at the age of 35 years and 151 days.

An inspirational rise

Burn’s ascent to the pinnacle of international football is nothing short of inspirational, with the Blyth-born defender having started out in non-League in his native north-east with Darlington, who he joined on a YTS in 2009.

His journey from there saw him progress through the EFL with spells at Fulham, Yeovil Town (loan), Birmingham City (loan), Wigan Athletic and Brighton, before he made a dream move to his boyhood club Newcastle United in January 2022.

And his remarkable story is perhaps best epitomised when we take a look at where he was when some of the more recent entrants on the list of oldest World Cup debutants registered their place.

The most recent additions before Burn were Ashley Young, who featured in the group stage win over Tunisia at the age of 32 in the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, and Jamie Vardy who also played in that tournament at the age of 31 when he debuted against Panama.

As that World Cup took place, Burn had just ended the 2017-18 season with Wigan Athletic before he made a switch to Brighton & Hove Albion in August and was then promptly loaned back to Wigan before he really started to make his name in the Premier League when he returned to the Sussex club.

If we go further down the list, a 32-year-old Rickie Lambert featured against Uruguay at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when Burn has just finished a season-long loan in the Championship with Birmingham City while he was on the books of Fulham.

England’s 20 oldest World Cup debutants

1 – David James v Algeria (18 June 2010) – 39y 321d
2 – Stanley Matthews v Spain (2 July 1950) – 35y 151d
3 – David Seaman v Algeria (15 June 1998) – 34y 269d
4 – Dan Burn v Mexico (6 July 2026) – 34y 58d
5 – Trevor Brooking v Spain (5 July 1982) – 33y 276d
6 – Mick Mills v France (16 June 1982) – 33y 163d
7 – Ashley Young v Tunisia (18 June 2018) – 32y 344d
8 – Peter Shilton v France (16 June 1982) – 32y 271d
9 – Robert Lee v Colombia (26 June 1998) - 32y 145d
10 – Gilbert Merrick v Belgium (17 June 1954) – 32y 142d
11 – Rickie Lambert v Uruguay (19 June 2014) – 32y 123d
12 – Teddy Sheringham v Tunisia (15 June 1998) – 32y 74d
13 – Wilf Mannion v Chile (25 June 1950) – 32y 40d
14 – Phil Jagielka v Italy (14 June 2014) – 31y 301d
15 – Syd Owen v Belgium (17 June 1954) – 31y 261d
16 – Tony Adams v Tunisia (15 June 1998) – 31y 248d
17 – Ivor Broadis v Belgium (17 June 1954) – 31y 181d
18 – Jamie Vardy v Panama (24 June 2018) – 31y 164d
19 – Kevin Keegan v Spain (5 July 1982) – 31y 141d
20 – Phil Neal v France (16 June 1982) – 31y 116d