CD Colunga will face 70-year-old goalkeeper Mateos González in a fifth division clash on Sunday, a move that local media reported will make him the oldest player to appear in an official match in Spain.
González, who retired from competitive football when he was 43, has been assisting Colunga’s goalkeepers during this season’s Third Federation Group Two campaign.
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“This is not a record or a rarity. It is a tribute,” Colunga said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“We are talking about a man who has been a miner, who has dedicated his life to work and football. It is not about numbers, it is about values. If someone focuses only on his age, he does not understand.”
González told the local newspaper “Las Provincias” that he did not know if he would play the full game.
“I still feel agile…when I started, it was almost a different sport. The balls, the throws,” he said.
“I remember that I had a cauldron next to the goal so I could draw water, without the referee seeing me, when the fields got muddy, something that was almost daily at that time.”
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Spain – 17th appearance
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Spain – 17th appearance
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Brazil – 23rd appearance
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United States of America – 12th appearance
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Mexico – 18th appearance
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England – 17th appearance
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Portugal – ninth appearance
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France – 17th appearance
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Iran – seventh appearance
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Swiss – 13th appearance
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Croatia – seventh appearance
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Australia – seventh appearance
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Morocco – seventh appearance
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Austria – eighth appearance
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Ecuador – fifth appearance
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Senegal – fourth appearance
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South Korea – 12th appearance
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Japan – eighth appearance
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Colombia – seventh appearance
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Germany – 21st appearance
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Belgium – 15th appearance
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Canada – third appearance
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Saudi Arabia – seventh appearance
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Uzbekistan – first appearance
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Jordan – first appearance
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Algeria – fifth appearance
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New Zealand – third appearance
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Paraguay – ninth appearance
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Egypt – fourth appearance
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Cape Verde – first appearance
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Taste – second appearance
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Norway – fourth appearance
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Panama – second appearance
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This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: CD Colunga’s Mateos González will play in Spain’s fifth division at age 70
