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The Portuguese second division witnessed strange scenes as American businesswoman Paris Hilton’s brother-in-law Courtney Reum made his professional debut for Lank Vilaverdense at 45. The number 78 substituted the number 27 Carlos Freitas when just five minutes remained in the game.
Reum is a friend of the club’s owner Adrian Johansson and thus holds a considerable share in the club’s ownership. The American had never appeared in any professional sport and became the oldest-ever player when he took the field against Torreense on Sunday.
Reum, who ruled out the age factor in the lead-up to his debut as a professional footballer, compared his transition with Cristiano Ronaldo, who despite being 39, continues to dominate the football arena. “I try to be in good shape, I was faster when I was younger, but I can be competitive and add value. I’m getting ready to play, I feel stronger every day,” he stated.
WATCH: Courtney Reum made his professional debut at age 45
However, the appearance of the Reum didn’t add much excitement to the crowd as they saw their club being relegated to Portugal’s third division following their 1-0 defeat to Torreense. Ambitious of climbing the club in the Portuguese league pyramid, Reum couldn’t make much difference to the scoreline on his debut as Bernardo Dias's lone goal at 40’ sealed the game for the visitors.
