James Milner & Charalampos Kostoulas break record – Biggest age gaps between assister & scorer in top-5 leagues

Top 10 revealed 

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Age may just be a number, but on Saturday at Old Trafford it also became a headline. Manchester United got a well-earned victory as the game finished 4-2 to the Red Devils, but when 39-year-old James Milner teed up 18-year-old striker Charalampos Kostoulas for Brighton’s second goal against United, the veteran and the teenager combined to set a new record – the biggest age gap between a goalscorer and his assist provider in Europe’s top-five leagues since 2000.

The moment was a snapshot of football’s timeless carousel: a player born when Milner was already a Premier League stalwart. The duo’s feat also joins a fascinating list of intergenerational connections. With this in mind, let’s reveal the top 10 biggest age-gaps between goalscorer and assist provider across the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 this century.

The biggest age gaps between assister and goalscorer

The age gap between veteran Milner and his young greek teammate Kostoulas stands at a mind-boggling 21 years and seven months – Milner made his debut in November 2002 and had played 138 Premier League games by the time Kostoulas was born in May 2007. In second place on the list are the duo of Brazilian defender Dante and young Algerian winger Badredine Bouanani. In 2023, the former scored for Nice aged 39, whilst the latter and assister was just 18 – a 21 year and four month age gap separated the pair. Third goes to Cristian Zapata and Roberto Sensini. Back in 2005, the latter, aged 39 at the time, provided the goal for his centre-back partner Zapata, aged 19 at the time, striking a 19 year and 11 months age gap.

The full top 10 is listed in the graphic above, with other notable duos cropping up. Last year, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski first linked up for a goal in La Liga when the Polish striker was 35 and the Spaniard was just 16 years of age – their age gap stood at 18 years and 10 months. Veteran midfielder Luka Modrić actually features twice in the top 10 and for two different teams. At AC Milan last month, he assisted 20 year-old Zachary Athekame with a 19 year and three months age gap between the pair, and back in 2023, he set up teenager Álvaro Rodríguez at Real Madrid with a 18 year and 10 month gap between that duo.