73-year-old Israeli beats world's oldest footballer record

An Israeli entered the record books after becoming the oldest footballer in the world to participate in a professional game at the age of 73.

Isaak Hayik set the record by playing as goalkeeper for the Israeli Ironi Or Yehuda team on Friday afternoon.

Despite his advanced age, Hayik said he was "ready for another match" after playing for 90 minutes.

He received the Guinness World Records award at a ceremony following the match, just days before his 74th birthday.

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Although his team was beaten 5 to 1 by Maccabi Ramat Gan, Hayik, of Iraqi descent, would have made a series of impressive saves during the match.

"This is not only a source of pride for me, but also for Israeli sport in general," Hayik told the Reuters news agency.

One of his sons, 36-year-old Moshe Hayik, described his father's achievements as "incredible."

He joked that he "used to be tired before" when they played together.

Uruguayan Robert Carmona was the former record holder. At the age of 53, he was part of the starting lineup of Pan de Azucar in 2015.

Japanese striker Kazuyoshi Miura is the oldest professional footballer to have scored a goal.

He broke Sir Stanley Matthews' 52-year record in 2017 by beating the winner in Yokohama FC's 1-0 win over Thespa Kusatsu in J-League 2.