Roberto Di Maio (born 21 September 1982) is a footballer who plays as a defender for

Cosmos The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied in ...

. Born in Italy, he plays for the San Marino national team. Di Maio became the oldest player to make his senior international debut in

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

competition, aged 40 years and 193 days, in a Euro 2024 qualifier match against

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

in March 2023.

Career

On 30 August 2010, he joined Nocerina for an undisclosed fee. On 12 August 2013, he left Lecce for L'Aquila.

International career

Di Maio was born in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, but had indicated that he would be likely to accept a call-up for

San Marino national football team The San Marino national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio di San Marino) represents San Marino in men's international association football competitions. The team is controlled by the San Marino Football Federation and represents the sma ...

if asked. He would eventually earn his first international cap for San Marino on 23 March 2023 in a Euro 2024 qualifier against

, at the age of 40, after waiting the prerequisite 15 years for naturalized citizens who cannot claim ancestral roots to be eligible for ''La Serenissima''. Di Maio had begun the naturalization process during his first stint with

San Marino Calcio Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Victor San Marino, better known as Victor San Marino, is a Sammarinese professional association football club based in the city of Acquaviva, that competes in the Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Italian foot ...

. His first cap made him the oldest person to make his senior debut in

competition.

Personal life

De Maio married his wife, Cristina, in 2012, and after ten years of marriage qualified for Sammarinese citizenship. He works as an academy coach for the

San Marino Football Federation The San Marino Football Federation (FSGC) ( it, Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio) is the governing body of football in San Marino. It organises the San Marino football league ( Campionato Sammarinese), a national cup (Coppa Titano), a supe ...

, coaching the country's Under-17s team.

Career statistics

International statistics

References

External links

* * * 1982 births Living people Footballers from Naples Sammarinese men's footballers San Marino men's international footballers Italian men's footballers Italian emigrants to San Marino Men's association football defenders Serie B players Serie C players ASD Victor San Marino players US Catanzaro 1929 players ASG Nocerina players US Lecce players L'Aquila 1927 players SEF Torres 1903 players Rimini FC 1912 players AS Gubbio 1910 players S.S. Cosmos players SP La Fiorita players Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio players Italian expatriate sportspeople in San Marino Italian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in San Marino Sammarinese people of Italian descent People with acquired Sammarinese citizenship {{SanMarino-footy-bio-stub