Tercera Federación (fifth tier of Spanish professional football) team Club Deportivo Colunga, from the Asturias region in the north of Spain, has made headlines in Spain by calling a 70-year-old goalkeeper as a "guest star" in a match, making his professional return 28 years after hanging the gloves. It's Ángel Mateos Rodríguez, born on September 14, 1955, who worked in the mines and at the same time played semi professional football, eventually playing several seasons in Second Division B and playing several editions of the Spanish Cup.
Mateos retired from football at the age of 42 in 1998, but has continued to play amateur football, keeping his good shape, which earned him the chance, coming directly from the vice president of the club, of playing again professionally for CD Colunga, in a match against CD Praviano. The vice president of the club, Santiago García, wanted to prove that "age is irrelevant when there is passion and talent".
Mateos played as a starter, and received a goal in the first 27 minutes of the match, before being substituted by the coach, leaving the pitch being applauded by supporters of both teams. Colunga's coach, Efrén Díaz, explained before the match that the objective was for Mateos to be able to "feel the competition again", but without neglecting the respect of the team and the competitiveness.
The team eventually lost 0-2, and Mateos noted that he would have liked to play the entire first half. At the end, he was given an award for his career by the club and the Asturian Football Federation.
