Jonathan Zongo hangs up his boots at 31

Jonathan Zongo, one of the most eccentric footballers in recent years at UD Almería, has announced his retiro del futbol at just 31 years old after not overcoming his serious knee injury. The African's career was cut short in January 2017, when he tore his knee ligaments in a game against Gabon, the host country of that African Cup. Since then he has not returned to the highest level, with relapses and a small ordeal, since the Burkina Faso federation did not take care of the medical expenses.

The winger ended his contract in June of that year and despite being seriously injured Alfonso García, with whom Zongo himself had already had his pluses and minuses, did not renew it. Last season he tried his luck at Badalona, ​​in Second Division B, limiting his participation to one match. And that the Burkinabe had his good moments, even playing 45 games in the highest category of Spanish football with Almería in the 13-14 and 14-15 seasons.

Only 20 players have played more than Jonathan Zongo with the red-and-white elastic in the LFP. Specifically, 99 matches between First and Second, to which we must add three from the promotion of promotion to the elite and nine from the Copa del Rey: 111 official duels with the first team who did 5,645 minutes, seeing goal eight times.

In October 2010, at just 20 years old, landed from Union Sportive de Ouagadougou, from Burkina Faso. Despite playing with the rojiblanco subsidiary (55 games), he trained with the first team, with which he debuted on January 13, 2011 in the first leg of the quarterfinals against Deportivo (1-0 in the first leg and 2 -3 on the return, where he also played). Like his friend Azeez, he had several run-ins with Alfonso García, ending their relationship in June 2017.