Rafael Ponzo

Rafa Ponzo
Personal information
Full nameRafael Antonio Ponzo García
Date of birth18 October 1978
Place of birthCaracas, Venezuela
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
Marino
Youth career
UCV Maracay
Deportivo La Trinidad
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1998–2001Siero25(0)
1999–2000→ Navarro (loan)21(0)
2001–2003Tenerife B
2003–2006Oviedo104(0)
2006–2009Girona73(0)
2009–2010Ceuta10(0)
2010Nea Salamis10(0)
2010Ermis2(0)
2011Mineros Guayana14(0)
2011–Marino123(0)
National team
2004–2006Venezuela2(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 January 2015.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Ponzo and the second or maternal family name is García.

Rafael 'Rafa' Antonio Ponzo García (born 18 October 1978) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays for Spanish club Marino de Luanco as a goalkeeper.

Club career

Born in Caracas, Ponzo left his country at the age of 20 and moved to Spain, where he played for the vast majority of his career, albeit almost exclusively in the lower leagues. His first club was Club Siero in the fourth division, and he went on to represent, also in the category, CD Tenerife's reserves and Real Oviedo, achieving promotion to the third level with the latter in 2005.

With his next team, Girona FC, Ponzo achieved two consecutive promotions, making his division two debut on 30 August 2008 in a 1–0 away win against Celta de Vigo, and appearing in 37 games during the season to help the Catalans retain their division status after ranking 16th (44 goals conceded – three of those in a 0–3 loss at Hércules CF in the late stages of the campaign in which he was held responsible for the outcome by his own manager Raül Agné[1]). He started the 2009–10 campaign back in the third division with AD Ceuta,[2] but moved after a few months to Cyprus where he played for two clubs in quick succession before returning to his homeland and join Atlético Club Mineros de Guayana.

On 7 July 2011 Ponzo signed with another side in the Spanish third division and Asturias, Marino de Luanco.[3]

International career

Ponzo made two appearances for the Venezuelan national team.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "'Nuestro portero nos ha quitado el partido'" ['Our goalkeeper robbed us of the win'] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Rafa Ponzo ya se entrena" [Rafa Ponzo is already training] (in Spanish). AD Ceuta. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Rafa Ponzo pone la experiencia en el Marino" [Rafa Ponzo brings experience to Marino] (in Spanish). La Nueva España. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Passo Alpuin, Luis Fernando (28 May 2009). "Venezuela – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 August 2009.

External links