‘Oldest man in the world’ celebrates his ‘123rd birthday’ in Brazil as family reveals he is still ‘in good health’

A Brazilian retiree who claims to be the world’s oldest man has celebrated his 123rd birthday, with his family saying he remains in good health.

Andrelino Vieira da Silva, resident of the city of Aparecida de Goiania in the Brazilian state of Goias, was born on February 3, 1901, aaccording to his identity card.

The retiree, who was married with seven children, five of whom are still alive, celebrated his latest milestone birthday on Saturday.

One granddaughter, Janaina Lemes de Souza, told local media: “He is doing well, everything is great.

“It’s a great satisfaction for him to be with us for another year like this, all together.”

Mr da Silva celebrates his 121st birthday with candles and a cake on February 3, 2022

According to his identity card, Mr da Silva was born on February 3, 1901. The pensioner was married and had seven children, five of whom are still living. He also has 13 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild

She added that people often recognize him on the street and ask him for a selfie, saying, “Some ask to take a photo and he does.”

Mr de Silva has not attempted to verify his age with the Guinness World Records.

The official record is currently held by San Francisco native Maria Branyas Morera, 115, who was given the title after the death of French nun Sister André, 118, earlier this year.

Mr da Silva granddaughter Anaina Lemes de Souza told local media in February last year: ‘He is still going strong’.

“We’re not going to do anything this year because other people in the family are having some problems, so we don’t feel like celebrating.”

Ms de Souza said the family owns three houses on the same plot.

She lives there with her husband and daughter; her mother, father and brother live in another; and her grandfather lives alone in the third.

In 2022, Ms. de Souza celebrated the occasion at an intimate gathering with family from which they all recovered COVID-19.

He also marked his ‘121st’ with a cake bearing a sign that read: ‘O terror do INSS’ (The terror of the INSS).

The message was a joke about his decades-long claim for his old-age pension from the INSS, or National Social Security Institute.

In response, the pension service sent Andrelino a special plaque with the text: ‘You are not the terror of the INSS. You are a blessing to the INSS.”

And they signed it: ‘We wish Mr. Andrelino many more years of life.’

The agency, which was created in 1978 to replace the former National Institute of Social Insurance (INP), is also responsible for collecting contributions for the country’s social security system.

The grandfather (pictured left and right when he was younger) lives on the same plot of land as his granddaughter

Mr. De Silva saw two world wars, communist revolutions and then their collapse in China and Russia, the Beatles, Princess Diana and the assassination of JFK.

The world’s oldest certified living person is María Branyas Morera, from California, who celebrated her 115th birthday in March 2022.

Mrs. Branyas Morera was born on March 4, 1907 and currently lives in a nursing home in Catalonia.

On January 7, 2023, she was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living person.

She attributed her longevity to “an orderly life that is socially very agreeable…a good life, without excesses.”

She is also one of the oldest survivors of COVID-19, having tested positive in May 2020.

The title of the oldest person to ever live belongs to Jeanne Louise Calment, whose life spanned 122 years and 164 days, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.