A GOALSCORER for Real Madrid legends against Liverpool at Anfield this weekend had fans scratching their heads – as no-one had ever heard of him.
When Edwin Congo scored what seemed at the time to be a consolation for Real’s veterans with the score at 4-0 to Liverpool, followers of the charity match turned to Google for answers.
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But barely a moment later, Fernando Morientes scored another goal for Los Blancos who mounted a spirited comeback but ultimately lost 4-3 after a Steven Gerrard-inspired Reds’ performance.
Congo’s intervention momentarily fell out of public consciousness – but now the match is over, we are wondering just who he is.
In a team containing the likes of Morientes, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Clarence Seedorf, it was a surprise to see the name of someone who had never played a competitive minute for Real get involved in the spectacle – let alone score.
But that is exactly what Colombian Congo did – and it is a blessing as the 40-year-old’s story is far from conventional.
Born in 1976, the young Congo ignored his mother’s advice and became a professional footballer with top flight side Once Caldas.
Impressive performances between 1996 and 1999 earned him a surprise move to Real Madrid, signed by Welshman John Toshack in his second spell in charge at the Bernabeu.
His transfer to Real is shrouded in mystery at a time just before the “Galacticos” era when Real were often signing unknown foreign stars for big fees and never playing them.
Congo cost £4.3million aged 22, but never played an official match – although he did once score in a friendly, he likes to remind people.
His time at Real was filled with loan spells, going out to Valladolid in Spain, Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal and Toulouse in France.
But he was included in the squad which won the 2002 Champions League – bizarrely “doing a John Terry” by celebrating on the pitch with a Colombia flag after they won the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
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He spoke more fondly of the fun he had off the pitch, becoming pals with the biggest players – in an interview, he explained: “I lived near Raul, Zidane and Luis Figo.
“Roberto Carlos was a good host and we loved going round to his house. We loved to play tennis doubles and my partner was Flavio Conceicao.”
But despite not playing a league match, he said he had no regrets about his time at the club: “I never felt sad at Real Madrid, because I never lost hope. I trained and put in double the work of my team-mates.
“Thanks to Real Madrid, I changed the way I ran and thought. If you play alongside, Roberto Carlos, Zidane and Figo, you will learn a lot.
“On top of that, Vicente Del Bosque was great with me, as he was with everyone. I played with the best players in the world and touched heaven with my hands.”
He moved onto Spanish side Levante, where he earned the nickname “King Congo” for his scoring exploits, staying there until 2006 while winning most of his 17 international caps.
Spells at Sporting Gijon, Recreativo and Olímpic Xàtiva in Spain came and went before he retired in 2009 – and now he enjoys the life of anonymity back home in Colombia.
He added: “I enjoy going unnoticed. I spent many years without being noticed. The best is walking past people and they don’t know who you are. This is the good life to; to be equal to others.”
Although it is an anonymity of sorts, as he turns out regularly for Real’s legends – having played against Liverpool at the Bernabeu in the last legends friendly in 2015.
And perhaps he is best known by being a cult hero on the Championship Manager 2002 computer game – in the mould perhaps of Cherno Samba and Tonton Zola Moukoko.
Let’s raise a toast to Edwin Congo, a man who loves his low profile so much, he plays for a legends team of the world’s most famous club without anyone knowing who he is.
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