Rafael Ponzo

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Rafa Ponzo

| image =

| full_name = Rafael Antonio Ponzo García

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|10|18|df=y}}

| birth_place = Caracas, Venezuela

| height = 1.82 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = UCV Maracay

| youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Deportivo La Trinidad

| years1 = 1998–2001 | clubs1 = Siero | caps1 = 26 | goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1999–2000 | clubs2 = → Navarro (loan) | caps2 = 21 | goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2001–2003 | clubs3 = Tenerife B | caps3 = | goals3 =

| years4 = 2003–2006 | clubs4 = Real Oviedo | caps4 = 104 | goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2006–2009 | clubs5 = Girona | caps5 = 73 | goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2009–2010 | clubs6 = Ceuta | caps6 = 10 | goals6 = 0

| years7 = 2010 | clubs7 = Nea Salamis | caps7 = 10 | goals7 = 0

| years8 = 2010 | clubs8 = Ermis | caps8 = 2 | goals8 = 0

| years9 = 2011 | clubs9 = Mineros Guayana | caps9 = 14 | goals9 = 0

| years10 = 2011–2015 | clubs10 = Marino | caps10 = 135 | goals10 = 0

| years11 = 2015–2016 | clubs11 = Aragua | caps11 = 36 | goals11 = 0

| years12 = 2017 | clubs12 = UES | caps12 = 11 | goals12 = 0

| years13 = 2017 | clubs13 = Angostura | caps13 = | goals13 =

| totalcaps = | totalgoals =

| nationalyears1 = 2004–2006 | nationalteam1 = Venezuela | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Rafael 'Rafa' Antonio Ponzo García (born 18 October 1978) is a Venezuelan retired professional footballer who played 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 stop was at Club Siero in the fourth division, and he went on to represent, also in that tier, Tenerife's reserves and Real Oviedo, achieving promotion to the third level with the latter in 2005.

With his next team, Girona, Ponzo achieved two consecutive promotions, making his Segunda División debut on 30 August 2008 in a 1–0 away win against Celta de Vigo{{cite news|url=http://archivo.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/2a_division/cronica/es/desarrollo/1159666.html|title=El Girona da la sorpresa en Balaídos|trans-title=Girona surprise at Balaídos|newspaper=Marca|language=Spanish|date=30 August 2008|accessdate=11 December 2018}} 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 3–0 loss at Hércules in the late stages in which he was held responsible for the outcome by his own manager Raül Agné).{{cite news|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/2009/05/30/futbol/1243708747.html|title='Nuestro portero nos ha quitado el partido'|trans-title='Our goalkeeper robbed us of the win'|newspaper=El Mundo|last1=Suárez|first1=Orfeo|last2=Rubio|first2=Antonio|language=Spanish|date=31 May 2009|accessdate=2 July 2012}} He started 2009–10 back in division three with Ceuta,{{cite web|url=http://www.adceuta.org/rafa-ponzo-ya-se-entrena/|title=Rafa Ponzo ya se entrena|trans-title=Rafa Ponzo is already training|publisher=AD Ceuta|language=Spanish|date=14 October 2009|accessdate=14 October 2009}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://www.lne.es/deportes/2011/07/07/rafa-ponzo-pone-experiencia-marino/1099558.html|title=Rafa Ponzo pone la experiencia en el Marino|trans-title=Rafa Ponzo brings experience to Marino|newspaper=La Nueva España|last=Fernández|first=José|language=Spanish|date=7 July 2011|accessdate=2 July 2012}} After two years back in his country with Aragua FC, he moved to UES.{{cite news|url=http://elmundo.sv/el-campeon-dio-catedra/|title=El campeón dio cátedra|trans-title=Champions put on a show|newspaper=El Mundo|language=Spanish|date=2 March 2017|accessdate=29 March 2017}}

38-year-old Ponzo returned to Venezuela in the middle of 2017, signing with Segunda División's Angostura FC.{{cite web|url=http://www.balonazos.com/el-portero-internacional-rafa-ponzo-jugara-el-torneo-clausura-con-angostura-fc/|title=El portero internacional Rafa Ponzo jugará el Clausura con Angostura FC|trans-title=International goalkeeper Rafa Ponzo will play Clausura with Angostura FC|publisher=Balonazos|last=Alarcón|first=Alexander|language=Spanish|date=9 August 2017|accessdate=23 December 2017}}

International career

Ponzo made two appearances for the Venezuela national team.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/venez-recintlp.html|title=Venezuela – Record International Players|publisher=RSSSF|last=Passo Alpuin|first=Luis Fernando|date=28 May 2009|accessdate=26 August 2009}}