Soccer-Colunga to field 70-year-old keeper Gonzalez

Gonzalez, who retired from competitive soccer when he was 43, has been helping out Colunga's keepers ‌during this season's Tercera Federation Group Two campaign. "This is ‌neither a record nor an oddity. It is a tribute," Colunga said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

CD Colunga are set to ​play 70-year-old goalkeeper Mateos ​Gonzalez in a fifth-tier ‌clash on ​Sunday, a move local media reported will make him the oldest player to ‌appear in an official match in Spain. Gonzalez, who retired from competitive soccer when he was 43, has been helping out Colunga's keepers ‌during this season's Tercera Federation Group Two campaign.

"This is ‌neither a record nor an oddity. 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. This isn’t about numbers, ⁠it’s about values. If anyone focuses solely on his age, they are ​missing the point."

Gonzalez told local newspaper "Las Provincias" 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 pitches," he said.

"I remember I used to keep a ⁠cauldron next to the goal so that, without the referee seeing ⁠me, I ⁠could scoop out water when the pitches got muddy, which back then was almost a daily ‌occurrence."