The incredible real-life story of the 83-year-old player who is on Football Manager 26

A man who refuses to be defined by age is officially the oldest player to ever feature on a Football Manager database after he was included in the latest edition of the series.

Lamberto Boranga, who made over 100 appearances in Serie A with Fiorentina, Brescia and Cesena, made history in October last year, when he featured between the sticks for seventh-tier side Trevana in a league game against Foligno.

As a result, the 82-year-old goalkeeper became the oldest player to take part in an organised game of football in Italy, a record that still stands – and will probably stand – for many years to come.

After conceding five goals before being substituted early in the second-half for 26-year-old Maurizio Rossi, Boranga gave an honest assessment of his performance. “I made two mistakes. But I made three or four good saves," he said.

Boranga's story is a remarkable one. At the age of 34, he was lining up alongside a 19-year-old Carlo Ancelotti at then-Serie B side Parma.

A decade later, the Italian begrudingly announced his retirement in 1993 while playing for Bastardo. However, he continued to play on the semi-professional and amateur scene while juggling working life as a cardiologist.

He then made a much-publicised move to professional outfit Ammeto in 2009 before going on to play at a decent level for Papiano, Marottese and most recently, Trevana. In fact, it looks like Boranga is still on the books of the Italian outfit.

As pointed out by X account Passion4FM, the goalkeeper has been included in the Football Manager 2026 database, although it appears the game has made an error regarding his age, as seen in the screenshot below.

"Looks like the game couldn't even handle his age. (He was) actually born during WWII," the account wrote. "By making an appearance on the 14th October 2025, he became the oldest ever player in Italy."

A quick glance at his in-game attributes on Football Manager 26 suggests the profile has been tailored to Boranga's skillset. As expected, his determination is by far his strongest asset, along with his natural fitness (12) and agility (12).

Meanwhile, the stamina and pace statistics are far from desirable.

Speaking about his age in an interview with ANSA, he drew comparisons with Luka Modric, who continues to shine for Serie A side AC Milan.

"You can’t tell his age when he’s on the pitch," said Boranga. “Modric has the sort of talent you don’t lose. And the age when you start being thought of as ‘old’ has risen. Even at 50 you can be deemed young… but in a different way.”

As well as his efforts on the pitch, Boranga is also a record-holder off it. He won gold medals at the World Masters Championships and European Masters Championships in long jump and high jump.

Back in 2008, he completed a 5.47-meter jump that earned him a world record for athletes older than 65. Then, shortly after his 70th birthday, Boranga broke the world record in triple jump for his age group at a very respectable 10.75 meters.