Ronnie Brunswijk may not be a name many outside Suriname and the Netherlands are familiar with, but after this latest event, quite a few more people will be looking up his information on Wikipedia.
The 60, yes, 60-year-old, who is the owner of local club Inter Moengotapoe, decided to get in on the action. And no, this wasn’t a friendly match to raise funds for a charity. This was a serious, competitive fixture, which saw Inter Moengotapoe taking on Olimpia in the CONCACAF League.
While his team didn’t win, and rather suffered a humiliating 6-0 loss to their opponents, it still got people talking around the world.
Brunswijk not only started the game, but served as captain during his entire 54 minutes on the pitch before eventually being subbed out. He’s been an owner (and player) at the club for quite some time, after helping to build the team’s stadium in 2002, which is named Ronnie Brunswijkstadion.
If you noticed that the stadium name looks a bit familiar, well, yes, it’s because it’s named after him.
This match was his return to action after being suspended in 2012 for hurling abuse at a referee, although it’s not the first time he’s gotten in trouble: in 2005, he also reportedly threatened another player with a gun during a match.
The politician and businessman is also Suriname’s vice president, a role he’s been in since July 2020.
A few weeks ago, this author reported that a former Serie A star, Francesco Flachi, was on the cusp of making his return to football after a 12 year ban due to drug usage. Flachi is 46, and will be 47 next year when he appears for Signa 1914, a team in Italy’s Eccellenza (fifth tier) division.
Perhaps Flachi will definitely get some encouragement from Brunswijk’s appearance, as the former rebel soldier is nearly 14 years his senior.
All in all, this latest news again proves right the hackneyed, yet very true, statement “Age ain’t nothing but a number”.
Or better yet, one is only as old as one truly feels.
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