DANTE THE SECOND

Dante, Ligue 1 second-oldest player in XXI century

As the new French league season approaches, let us pay tribute to one of the heroes of the previous campaign. Although he played no part in PSG’s brilliant run of victories on the domestic and international stages, he nonetheless deserves recognition for his own achievement.
Brazilian defender Dante (full name Dante Bonfim Costa Santos) played his final league match at the age of 42 years and 223 days, becoming the league’s second-oldest player of the XXI century, behind only by another Brazilian, Vitorino Hilton.
Dante ranks fifth on the all-time Ligue 1 list (see table).
On 29 May, Dante captained Nice to a 4–1 win over Saint-Étienne in the relegation play-offs second leg, securing the club’s elite status. It was the final match of his professional career before retirement.
A week before that, on 22 May, Dante played in and the Coupe de France final against Lens, to become at the age of 42 years and 216 days the oldest player to feature in the competition’s final.