Ronnie Brunswijk, the 60-year-old vice president of Suriname, played in the game pitting Inter Moengotapoe, against Honduran outfit Olimpia in the first leg of the round of 16 at the Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname.
He is now the oldest player to have ever played in an international competition. The veteran wore the number 61 shirt for the game, pointing to his birth year. However, the match was comical from start to finish, and ended with Inter Moengotapoe losing to Olimpia 6-0. Brunswijk came out of retirement in the game, but it did not go according to the plans of the vice president of Suriname.
The league is CONCACAF’s second-tier club competition, and the image of the 60-year-old on the pitch immediately went viral on the internet. The 60-year-old was on the pitch for close to an hour, and was one of the attackers alongside his son, Damian Brunswijk.
Olimpia assistant coach Gustavo Reggi said his team was just focused on winning the game after being asked about Ronnie Brunswijk.
“We found out half an hour earlier when they gave us the squad [that Brunswijk was playing],” he said. “This is a matter for our rivals. We just had to focus on ourselves.
“We represent a club, and we have to do it in the best possible way whether national or internationally. That is what we came here to do. We are happy with the win and now we will wait for the return leg.”
The return leg will be played on the 28th of September in San Pedro Sula.
