Spain
70-year-old goalkeeper writes special football history
Updated May 3, 2026 – 11:27 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The name Ángel Mateos probably means little to most football fans. For one day, the goalkeeper in Spain overshadowed his younger colleagues.
A 70-year-old goalkeeper wrote a little piece of football history in Spain. Ángel Mateos was used from the start at CD Colunga in the home game against CD Praviano (0-2) to great applause – and, according to media reports, became probably the oldest active player in the Tercera Federación, the country’s fifth division. The trade newspaper “Marca” spoke of a “historic” event.
“I’m as nervous as I was on my debut,” Mateos admitted in interviews a few days before the match. The announcement of the unusual deployment caused a stir throughout Spain and beyond the country’s borders. There were many media reports and countless comments online.
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Mateos was in goal for almost half an hour. He couldn’t prevent the visitors from making it 0-1 with a header from a corner, but he thrilled the home fans with a good save. The former miner was honored for his long career with the effort. “Mateos embodies exactly what we stand for at CD Colunga: passion, consistency, respect for football and a way of living the sport that transcends age. Age is secondary,” the Asturias region club wrote on Instagram.
The goalkeeper can look back on an exceptionally long career. After making his debut at the age of 18, he played more than 800 games in lower Spanish leagues before retiring from official play in his early 40s. Mateos remained closely connected to football even after his resignation – including as a goalkeeping coach in Colunga. The 70-year-old also plays in the senior team and also keeps fit by running, cycling and playing tennis.
For Mateos himself, a small family incentive was also at the forefront of his comeback: “My grandson does athletics – let’s see if he switches to football when he sees me,” he said in an interview with the newspaper “El País”.
