The table below lists the oldest twenty-five players who have stepped out onto the pitch for the Nationalmannschaft, since the team’s first fixture against Switzerland in Basel on 5th April 1908. The average age of the that first-ever Germany team was just over twenty-one years, with the oldest player being the twenty-six year old Arthur “Ille” Hiller.

This record was quickly surpassed, and as of 17th May 2017 the oldest-ever player to wear the Nationaltrikot is Lothar Matthäus at the age of 39 years and 91 days. Matthäus’ 150th and final appearance was at Euro 2000, in Germany’s final group stage match against Portugal in Rotterdam.

Interestingly, Matthäus also appears in the list of youngest debutants, having made his international bow against the Netherlands at Euro 1980. Matthäus not only holds the national record for the most senior international appearances at 150, but also the record for the longest-serving German player – a spell stretching 20 years and 6 days.

PicNameBornBirthplaceLast MatchOpponentVenueCapsAge at Last Match
Lothar MatthäusMATTHÄUS, Lothar1961.03.21Erlangen2000.06.20PortugalRotterdam (NED)15039 Years, 91 Days
Jens LehmannLEHMANN, Jens1969.11.10Essen2008.06.29SpainWien (AUT)6138 Years, 231 Days
Fritz WalterWALTER, Friedrich "Fritz"1920.10.31Kaiserslautern1958.06.24SwedenGöteborg6137 Years, 235 Days
Oliver KahnKAHN, Oliver "Olli"1969.06.15Karlsruhe2006.07.08PortugalStuttgart8637 Years, 23 Days
Manuel NeuerNEUER, Manuel*1986.03.27Gelsenkirchen2022.12.01Costa RicaMönchengladbach11736 Years, 250 Days
Richard KreßKREß, Richard1925.03.06Niesig1961.10.22GreeceAugsburg936 Years, 230 Days
Andreas KupferKUPFER, Andreas "Ander"1914.05.07Schweinfurt1950.11.22SwitzerlandStuttgart4436 Years, 199 Days
Andreas KöpkeKÖPKE, Andreas "Andy"1962.03.12Kiel1998.07.04CroatiaLyon (FRA)5936 Years, 114 Days
Hans-Jörg ButtBUTT, Hans-Jörg1974.05.28Oldenburg2010.07.10UruguayPort Elizabeth (RSA)436 Years, 43 Days
Miroslav KloseKLOSE, Miroslav1978.06.09Opole/Oppeln (POL)2014.07.13ArgentinaRio de Janeiro (BRA)13736 Years, 34 Days
Karl SestaSESTA, Karl1906.03.18Wien-Simmering (AUT/AUH)1942.02.01SwitzerlandWien335 Years, 320 Days
Karl TewesTEWES, Karl1886.08.18Berlin1922.07.02HungaryBochum635 Years, 318 Days
Hans HagenHAGEN, Hans1894.07.15Fürth1930.05.04SwitzerlandZürich1235 Years, 293 Days
Toni TurekTUREK, Anton "Toni"1919.01.18Duisburg1954.01.16FranceHannover2035 Years, 271 Days
Adolf JägerJÄGER, Adolf1889.03.31Altona/Elbe1924.12.14SwitzerlandStuttgart1835 Years, 258 Days
Jakob StreitleSTREITLE, Jakob1916.12.11Ulm1952.05.04Rep. of IrelandDublin1535 Years, 144 Days
Sepp MaierMAIER, Josef "Sepp"1944.02.28Metten1979.05.26IcelandReykjavík9535 Years, 87 Days
Johann MockMOCK, Johann1906.12.09Wien (AUT/AUH)1942.02.01SwitzerlandWien535 Years, 54 Days
Oliver NeuvilleNEUVILLE, Oliver1973.05.01Locarno (SUI)2008.06.16AustriaWien6935 Years, 46 Days
Stefan KuntzKUNTZ, Stefan1962.10.30Neunkirchen1997.10.11AlbaniaHannover2534 Years, 346 Days
Roman WeidenfellerWEIDENFELLER, Roman1980.08.06Diez2015.06.13GibraltarFaro (POR)534 Years, 310 Days
Thomas LinkeLINKE, Thomas1969.12.26Sömmerda (DDR)2004.08.18AustriaWien4334 Years, 235 Days
Hans SchäferSCHÄFER, Hans1927.10.19Köln-Zollstock1962.06.10YugoslaviaSantiago (CHI)3934 Years, 234 Days
Ulf KirstenKIRSTEN, Ulf1965.12.04Riesa (DDR)2000.06.20PortugalRotterdam (NED)5134 Years, 198 Days
FRANKE, Bernd1948.02.12Bliesen1982.05.12NorwayOslo734 Years, 89 Days
Rudi VöllerVÖLLER, Rudolf "Rudi"1960.04.13Hanau1994.07.10BulgariaEast Rutherford, NY (USA)9034 Years, 87 days