70-year-old former miner smashes Spanish football longevity record

Football

Asturias: on Sunday, the goalkeeper defended Colunga's goal in the Third Division RFEF, becoming the oldest team member to play in a federated football match in Spain

Iván García/Samuel Osorio

Gijón

It sounds like a late April Fool's joke, but the record books have officially been rewritten. On Sunday, Ángel Mateos became the oldest player ... in the history of Spanish federated football when, at 70 years old, he donned the CD Colunga jersey and put on his gloves for their match against Praviano.

While the match took place in the fifth tier of the Spanish system, known as the Tercera RFEF, the achievement is a historic milestone that saw the former miner surpass the previous longevity record by over a decade.

The match was held under an intense Asturian downpour at the Santianes ground, marking the final home game of a season where both teams had already secured their safety.

Mateos started the match and remained on the pitch for an eventful 20 minutes. During his time between the posts, he produced a standout save by diving low to deny a sharp Praviano strike, though he later conceded one goal from a corner kick. When the time came for his substitution, he left the field to a thunderous standing ovation from the fans, a moment made even more special as his ten-year-old grandson watched the history-making performance from behind the goal.

This return to the spotlight was orchestrated by club directors Santi Barrero and Birmingham-born Keith Thompson, friends of Mateos who had invited him to train with the squad this year as a backup and goalkeeper coach.

Mateos, who worked for 25 years in the local mines, agreed to the appearance on the strict condition that his participation would not disadvantage his teammates or any third parties. He viewed the appearance as a "pachanga" turned professional tribute, a far cry from his early days when he played for clubs like Turón, Caudal, and Santiago de Aller.

Reflecting on his sixty-year journey in the sport, Mateos noted that football was a different world when he started. He recalled a time when a goalkeeper with wool gloves was considered privileged and described how he used to keep a bucket next to the goalposts to bail water out of the mud when the referee wasn’t looking. Although he technically retired from federated play at the age of 43, he stayed sharp through veterans' leagues and company teams, maintaining an agility that allowed him to step back into an official match three decades later.

While the media has focused on the age of the protagonist, CD Colunga has been vocal in defending the selection as more than just a search for easy headlines. Through their social media, the club emphasised that Mateos represents passion, perseverance, and a deep respect for the game. They insisted that if spectators only focused on the age of the man in the net, they were missing the true point of the gesture. For the club, this wasn't an eccentricity or a mere pursuit of a record, but a recognition of a man who was playing not because he reached 70, but because his commitment to the sport meant he had truly earned his place on the pitch.