Rafael Ponzo

Rafael 'Rafa' Antonio Ponzo García (born 18 October 1978) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ponzo and the second or maternal family name is García.
Rafa Ponzo
Personal information
Full name Rafael Antonio Ponzo García
Date of birth (1978-10-18) 18 October 1978
Place of birth Caracas, Venezuela
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
UCV Maracay
Deportivo La Trinidad
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 Siero 26 (0)
1999–2000 → Navarro (loan) 21 (0)
2001–2003 Tenerife B
2003–2006 Real Oviedo 104 (0)
2006–2009 Girona 73 (0)
2009–2010 Ceuta 10 (0)
2010 Nea Salamis 10 (0)
2010 Ermis 2 (0)
2011 Mineros Guayana 14 (0)
2011–2015 Marino 135 (0)
2015–2016 Aragua 36 (0)
2017 UES 11 (0)
2017 Angostura
National team
2004–2006 Venezuela 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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 stop was at Club Siero in the fourth division, and he went on to represent, also in that tier, 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 Segunda División debut on 30 August 2008 in a 1–0 away win against RC Celta de Vigo[1] and appearing in 37 matches during the season to help the Catalans retain their league status after ranking 16th (44 goals conceded – three of those in a 0–3 loss at Hércules CF in the late stages in which he was held responsible for the outcome by his own manager Raül Agné).[2] He started 2009–10 back in division three with AD Ceuta,[3] but moved after a few months to Cyprus, where he played for two clubs in quick succession before returning to his homeland and join Mineros de Guayana.

On 7 July 2011, Ponzo signed with another side in the Spanish third division and Asturias, Marino de Luanco.[4] After two years back in his country with Aragua FC, he moved to C.D. Universidad de El Salvador.[5]

38-year-old Ponzo returned to Venezuela in the middle of 2017, signing with Segunda División's Angostura FC.[6]

International career

Ponzo made two appearances for the Venezuela national team.[7]

References
  1. "El Girona da la sorpresa en Balaídos" [Girona surprise at Balaídos]. Marca (in Spanish). 30 August 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  2. Suárez, Orfeo; Rubio, Antonio (31 May 2009). "'Nuestro portero nos ha quitado el partido'" ['Our goalkeeper robbed us of the win']. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  3. "Rafa Ponzo ya se entrena" [Rafa Ponzo is already training] (in Spanish). AD Ceuta. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
  4. Fernández, José (7 July 2011). "Rafa Ponzo pone la experiencia en el Marino" [Rafa Ponzo brings experience to Marino]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  5. "El campeón dio cátedra" [Champions put on a show]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 2 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  6. Alarcón, Alexander (9 August 2017). "El portero internacional Rafa Ponzo jugará el Clausura con Angostura FC" [International goalkeeper Rafa Ponzo will play Clausura with Angostura FC] (in Spanish). Balonazos. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. Passo Alpuin, Luis Fernando (28 May 2009). "Venezuela – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
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