 Old playing forSaint-Étienne 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Craig Old[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (2002-08-13)13 August 2002 (age 23)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Saint-Étienne | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2016 | Hibiscus Coast | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | North Shore United | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Wellington Phoenix | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Wellington Phoenix Reserves | 26 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | →Lower Hutt | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Wellington Phoenix | 71 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Saint-Étienne | 24 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | New Zealand U-17 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | New Zealand U-23 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022– | New Zealand | 19 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:00, 8 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 November 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Benjamin Craig Old (born 13 August 2002) is a New Zealand professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder forLigue 2 clubSaint-Étienne and theNew Zealand national team.[2]
Old began his sports career as a golfer; he was given his firstgolf club when he was two.[3] Old was considered a former child golf prodigy, playing in his first international golf tournament at the age of seven. He had travelled to the United States to play against other child prodigies from around the world inLas Vegas,Pinehurst andSan Diego.[3]
Old originally lived in Auckland before he moved to Wellington and joined the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy in 2018.[3] While not an official member of Wellington Phoenix's senior squad, Old had trained with the team before they went to Australia.[3] Old joined the team again for training when they returned, making his debut as a substitute in the Phoenix's 3–0 win overWestern United andnutmegging his defender with his first touch.[4][2]
Old scored his first goal for the Wellington Phoenix during a 3–0 victory over theBrisbane Roar on 30 March 2022.[5]
On 9 July 2024, Old signed forLigue 1 clubSaint-Étienne on a four-year contract with an option for a fifth year.[6]
On 17 August 2024, Old played his first game with Saint-Étienne, a 0-1 defeat againstAS Monaco FC in the first day of the2024–25 Ligue 1,[7] becoming the first New Zealander to start a game inLigue 1, and the second to even play[a].[8]
On 13 September 2024, he played his third Ligue 1 game, a 1-0 win againstLille,[9] beatingBill Tuiloma’s tally of two games and setting a new record for a New Zealander in Ligue 1.[10]
Old was part of theNew Zealand U-17 team that won the2018 OFC U-16 Championship and qualified for2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.[11][12][13] Old played in two games at the World Cup, first coming on as a sub in New Zealand's opening 1–2 loss toAngola before getting a start in the team's 1–0 win overCanada.[14][15]
On 25 June 2021, he was named inNew Zealandreserve squad for the2020Olympics.[16]Though he was actually travelled to Japan, he didn't play any game.
Old was named in the 30-manNew Zealand squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers.[17] He subsequently made his international debut on 19 March 2022, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute during New Zealand's 1–0 victory againstPapua New Guinea in the group stage.[18]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Others | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wellington Phoenix Reserves | 2019–20[20] | Premiership | 12 | 1 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21[21] | 13 | 3 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||||
| 2021 | National League | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 4 | ||
| Lower Hutt (loan) | 2021 | National League | 6 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Wellington Phoenix | 2020–21[22] | A-League Men | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[23] | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23[23] | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24[23] | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 29 | 5 | ||
| Total | 68 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 75 | 7 | ||
| Saint-Étienne | 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2025–26 | Ligue 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | ||
| Total | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 124 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 131 | 12 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 June 2024 | VFF Freshwater Stadium,Port Vila,Vanuatu |  Vanuatu | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup |
| 2. | 15 November 2025 | Chase Stadium,Fort Lauderdale,United States |  Colombia | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
New Zealand
Individual
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