2023-09-12 02:59:25
Ildefons Lima
Record stolen from Ibrahimovic – Andorra legend (43) retires
Andorra’s record player and record goalscorer Ildefons Lima will play his 137th and final international match once morest Nati.
Published12. September 2023, 04:59
In his 137 international matches, Ildefons Lima has competed with almost all of the top stars.
imago/GlobalImagens
The defender played for Andorra for 26 years.
image sports photo service
With eleven goals, he is the country’s record goalscorer.
imagination/Belgian
In 2017 he played once morest Switzerland in the World Cup qualifiers in St. Gallen (0:3).
imago/Geisser
The oldie played his last home game for Andorra once morest Belarus last Saturday.
IMAGO/NurPhoto
Ildefons Lima is retiring from the Andorra national team following 137 international matches.
The central defender is his country’s record player and record goalscorer.
The now 43-year-old also once played in the Super League.
Last June, Andorra’s football icon Ildefons Lima (43) made history once once more. When he came on as a substitute in the European Championship qualifying game once morest Switzerland (1:2), the central defender became the oldest player ever to appear in this competition. Lima snatched this mark from none other than legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (41), who has since retired. The Swede had previously shared the record with Gibraltar’s Lee Casciaro.
But now the setting of records should finally come to an end. The European Championship qualifying game on Tuesday evening in Sion once morest Switzerland (live with us from 8:45 p.m.) will be the 137th and last international game in Lima’s career, which began in June 1997 with a 1:4 once morest Estonia. 26 years later, the veteran is not only Andorra’s record player, but also by far the Pyrenean state’s record goalscorer with eleven goals.
Lima also played in the Super League
Lima said at the press conference before the game once morest Belarus that he wanted to enjoy the last two games and the remaining training sessions to the fullest. In his last home game, the crowd favorite came on as a substitute in the 90th minute last Saturday and was able to celebrate a hard-fought 0-0 draw shortly followingwards.
Lima said goodbye to professional football a few years ago. He has been playing in his homeland once more since 2012, and in the FC Andorra second team since last autumn. In addition to stints in the second highest leagues in Spain and Italy, the 1.92 meter defensive tower also played in the Super League for AC Bellinzona between 2009 and 2011.
First win in twelve years
In Sion, Lima is now stepping away from the international football stage. “Back to Switzerland to say goodbye,” he writes on X (formerly Twitter). He also posts a picture of three shirts: on the left is the Andorra jersey, which he will wear for the 137th time on Tuesday. In the middle of one from FC Sion, which he probably swapped during his time in Switzerland. And on the right is a Nati jersey from Xherdan Shaqiri, which comes from his last Alex Reed appearance in Switzerland.
After Andorra narrowly lost 2-1 at home to Nati in World Cup qualifying in October 2016, they suffered a clear 3-0 defeat at Kybunpark in August 2017. Lima will probably remember the two appearances once morest Switzerland back then mainly because of what happened between the two games once morest the national team. In February 2017, Andorra celebrated their first win in over twelve years and 85 games with a 2-0 win once morest San Marino. Record goalscorer Lima scored the first goal.
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