Roy Hodgson Becomes Oldest Ever Premier League Manager at 71 Years Old

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson made history on Sunday as he became the oldest Premier League manager of all time. On February 17, Hodgson turned 71 years

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson made history on Sunday as he became the oldest Premier League manager of all time.

On February 17, Hodgson turned 71 years and 192 days old, which means he has surpassed legendary Sir Bobby Robson's record as the eldest in the division's history.

Hodgson has had a long and varied managerial career, coaching 16 teams across eight countries, including four national teams.

He started his managerial career at Swedish club Halmstad back in 1976 and spent almost all of the 80s in the Scandinavian country, where he is credited with the transformation of Swedish football by introducing tactics such as zonal marking.

Hodgson then took charge of the Swiss national team in 1992, guiding them to the 1994 World Cup - their first in 28 years - where they reached the last 16.

The former non-league footballer had two spells at Italian giants Inter and is regarded as an important figure in their history for overseeing a vital transition phase between 1995 and 1997.

Inter Milan congratulates Hodgson: England job "just reward for a sincere & generous man who can be considered a true friend of Inter"

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) May 1, 2012

A series of jobs across Denmark, Finland, Norway and the UAE eventually brought Hodgson to west London club Fulham, with whom he enjoyed a memorable debut season avoiding relegation as the Cottagers earned 12 points from the last five games of the season.

A disappointing six months at Liverpool followed, before a successful spell at West Bromwich Albion earned him every Englishman's dream job in 2012 - the England national team.

In his first major tournament, Hodgson guided England to the quarter finals of Euro 2012 where they lost to Italy on penalties, but humiliations in the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 - namely the infamous 2-1 defeat to Iceland - ultimately defined his time as manager of the Three Lions.

The boyhood Palace fan took charge at Selhurst Park in September 2017 and his 16th job has been a relative success, guiding the Eagles to survival following a disastrous start to the season under Frank De Boer.

Hodgson celebrated the historic feat as the oldest Premier League manager by securing a place in the FA Cup quarter final with a 2-0 win over Championship side Doncaster Rovers on Sunday.