At 131-years-old Brazilian pensioner might just be the world’s oldest living person.

If confirmed, Joao Coelho de Souza will take the title from the current Guinness World Record holder, Japan’s Yasutaro Koide, who’s a mere 112 years of age.

He would also trump Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died aged 122, and is currently recognised as the longest living person in recorded history.

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Proof?: There appears to be enough paperwork to support Joao’s claim (Kennedy Afonso/Facebook)



Social security workers in Brazil recently visited the father-of-three, who lives with his 62-year-old wife and 16-year-old granddaughter in Acre, northern Brazil.

They shared their surprise about Joao’s potentially record-breaking age on Facebook, and the news has since gone global.

Kennedy Afonso, the social security worker who posted the photos, has called for the government to confirm Joao’s vintage.

He said: “I present José Coelho Da Silva, who came to Acre when he was only 11-years-old.

“I appeal to the state government and the local government in Sena Madureira to determine whether this is true so they can claim a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the oldest man on the earth. And he’s from our region.

“According to his son, he’s quite lucid and has a lot of history there to tell you.”

Joao’s daughter, Cirlene Souza, 30, told a Brazilian newspaper: "He has days when he is lucid but others when he doesn’t even recognise his children.

"He was very small when he came to work in Acre extracting rubber.

"He has been with my mum for more than 40 years and depends on others for everything.”

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Certified: Even Joao’s birth certificate isn’t enough to convince some people (Kennedy Afonso/Facebook)

And as for the doubters? Cirlene has this to say: “You hear everything, people that criticise and say it’s a lie and others that admire the fact someone can live so long.

"It sometimes offends me because everything is documented and the documents have already been examined by experts to see if they’d been falsified and nothing abnormal was found.”

Top picture: social security worker Alexandre Santana Inss poses with Joao (Kennedy Afonso/Facebook)

