Ben Old

Benjamin Old
Born	(2002-08-13) August 13, 2002 Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2019–
Known for	Attacking midfielder for Saint-Étienne and New Zealand national team

Benjamin Craig Old (born 13 August 2002) is a professional footballer from New Zealand who operates as an attacking midfielder for the French club Saint-Étienne and represents the New Zealand national team.

Early life

Old initially pursued golf, receiving his first golf club at just two years old. Recognized as a former child golf prodigy, he competed internationally by age seven, participating in tournaments across the United States at prestigious courses such as Las Vegas, Pinehurst, and San Diego.

Wellington Phoenix

Hailing from Auckland, Old relocated to Wellington in 2018 to join the Wellington Phoenix Football Academy. Although he was not officially part of the senior squad at first, he trained alongside the first team prior to their trip to Australia. He made his senior debut coming off the bench in a 3–0 victory over Western United, where he notably nutmegged his marker with his initial touch. Old netted his inaugural goal for Wellington Phoenix in a 3–0 triumph against the Brisbane Roar on 30 March 2022.

Saint-Étienne

On 9 July 2024, Old secured a four-year deal with Ligue 1 side Saint-Étienne, which includes an option for an additional year. He made his first appearance on 17 August 2024 during a 0-1 loss to AS Monaco FC, becoming the first New Zealander to start a Ligue 1 match and the second overall to feature in the league following Bill Tuiloma. By his third Ligue 1 game on 13 September 2024—a 1-0 victory over Lille—Old had surpassed Tuiloma’s record for the most Ligue 1 appearances by a New Zealand player.

New Zealand U-17s

Old was a member of the New Zealand U-17 squad that captured the 2018 OFC U-16 Championship, earning qualification for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Brazil. He participated in two World Cup fixtures, entering as a substitute during New Zealand's 1–2 defeat to Angola and starting in their 1–0 win over Canada.

Olympic Games

On 25 June 2021, Old was selected as part of New Zealand's reserve roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics men's football event. Although he traveled with the squad to Japan, he did not appear in any matches.

New Zealand

Old was included in the preliminary 30-player New Zealand squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Oceania qualifiers. He earned his senior international debut on 19 March 2022, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute during New Zealand’s 1–0 group stage victory against Papua New Guinea.

Career statistics

Club	Season	League			Cup		Others		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Wellington Phoenix Reserves	2019–20	Premiership	12	1	—		—		12	1
	2020–21		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	A-League Men	1	0	0	0	—		1	0
	2021–22		23	1	2	0	1	0	26	1
	2022–23		17	1	2	0	0	0	19	1
	2023–24		27	5	0	0	2	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	1	1	0	0	–		1	1
	Total	14	1	0	0	0	0	14	1

International goals

No.	Date	Location	Opponent	Scoreline	Outcome	Tournament
1.	21 June 2024	VFF Freshwater Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu	Template:Fb	4–0	4–0	2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup

Achievements

New Zealand

• OFC Nations Cup: Champions 2024

Personal

• A-Leagues All Star selection: 2024