Rogério Ceni

Rogério Ceni
Ceni with São Paulo in 2022
Personal information
Full name Rogério Mücke Ceni
Date of birth (1973-01-22) 22 January 1973 (age 51)
Place of birth Pato Branco, Brazil
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Bahia (head coach)
Youth career
1987–1989 Sinop
1990–1993 São Paulo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990 Sinop 12 (0)
1993–2015 São Paulo 870 (103)
Total 882 (103)
International career
1997–2006 Brazil 17 (0)
Managerial career
2017 São Paulo
2018–2019 Fortaleza
2019 Cruzeiro
2019–2020 Fortaleza
2020–2021 Flamengo
2021–2023 São Paulo
2023– Bahia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rogério Mücke Ceni (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈʒɛɾiu ˈsẽni]; born 22 January 1973) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who is in charge of Bahia. He is considered one of the all-time greatest Brazilian goalkeepers and is recognised by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as the goalkeeper to have scored the most goals in the history of football. During the height of his career (2005–2008) he was also recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Most of Ceni's vast professional career, which had spanned 25 years and 1209 official club matches by Sinop (12) and São Paulo (1197), 1237 total appearances by São Paulo being the player with most matches by the club, and also won 20 major titles, including three Brazilian Leagues, two Copa Libertadores and the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup. He also scored 129 goals during his career, with most of them coming from free kicks and penalties and one coming from open play.

Ceni also represented Brazil 17 times over the course of his career, being part of the squads that won the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, and also taking part at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Rogério Mücke Ceni was born 22 January 1973 in Pato Branco, Paraná. Ceni is of Italian and German descent. He holds Italian citizenship.

Club career

Ceni (fourth from left) with the São Paulo squad in 2005

Ceni made his senior debuts with Sinop. In 1990, the 17-year-old joined São Paulo, spending his first six seasons in Brazilian Série A as a backup or third-choice.

On 25 June 1993 Ceni made his first team debut, starting in a 4–1 win against Tenerife for the Trofeo Ciudad de Santiago de Compostela friendly championship. In the following year he was utilized as a starter in the 1994 Copa CONMEBOL, appearing in all matches as his side was crowned champions.

In the 1997 season, after Zetti moved to Santos, Ceni was chosen as his replacement. On 14 July 2005, Ceni was São Paulo's captain as the team won the 2005 Copa Libertadores, a third for the club. Two weeks later, in a match against Atlético Mineiro, he broke the record for most appearances for the team, with 618 matches – he wore a special commemorative jersey that had the number "618" printed on the back; on 25 July of the following year, he scored a penalty against Mexican side Guadalajara (also a match-winner), becoming the Tricolor's all-time leading scorer in the Libertadores.

From 2005 to 2007, he scored an astonishing 47 goals in all competitions combined, as the club won two national championships and the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup; in the latter competition, he netted in the semifinals against Ittihad (3–2, through a penalty kick), and was voted Man of the match in the final against Liverpool, as well as the tournament's MVP.

On 20 August 2006, Ceni scored his 63rd and record-breaking goal by netting a free kick against Cruzeiro in the domestic league, a few minutes after denying a penalty to the opposition. Later in the same match, he scored a goal from the spot and took his total to 64, also tying the match 2–2; this put him two goals ahead of the previous holder, Paraguayan José Luis Chilavert.

Ceni with São Paulo in 2008

On 29 October 2006, Ceni made his 700th official appearance for São Paulo, against Figueirense in a 2–0 victory. Some of the gloss was taken off the occasion when the player was ordered to change his bright yellow jersey because it matched with the referee's; at the end of the 2007 season, which ended in league conquest, he was voted by the Brazilian Football Confederation as the Best Player.

In April 2009, Ceni fractured his ankle in training, being initially sidelined for six months, but recovering sooner than expected. On 28 October 2010, against Atlético Paranaense, he played his 700th game as club captain. The following year, on 27 March, he scored from a free kick to win the match against arch rivals Corinthians, shooting from 18 metres for his 100th goal.

On 7 September 2011, Ceni made his 1000th appearance for São Paulo. In late January of the following year, the 39-year-old underwent an operation on his shoulder, losing six months of competition.

On 1 August 2012, Ceni returned to the field, scoring from a direct free kick in a 2–0 Copa Sudamericana away win against Bahia; his side went on to win that year's tournament. He subsequently scored three goals in the league, ending the campaign as a starter.

Despite already being aged 40, Ceni stated that his spirit for competition was the same as an eighteen-year-old's, but still stating that his recovery is harder than years ago. On 14 July 2013, Ceni scored his 111th goal from a free kick in a 2–3 loss at Vitória.

On 7 December 2013, after lengthy negotiations, Ceni renewed his contract with Tricolor for a further season. On 20 April 2014, in a 3–0 home win against Botafogo, he had three records recognized by Guinness World Records: most goals scored by a goalkeeper, number of games played for the same club and number of times as captain.

On 27 October 2014, Ceni broke Ryan Giggs' record for most wins at a single club after playing in São Paulo's 3–0 win over Goiás. He finished the campaign with eight league goals (his best goal scoring record within seven years), being an undisputed starter.[citation needed]

On 28 November 2014, Ceni signed a new deal with São Paulo, until August 2015, despite previously stating that he would retire at the end of the season. On 29 March 2015, after scoring in a 3–0 home win against Linense, he surpassed Marcelinho Carioca in the number of goals scored by direct free kicks for only one club, with Ceni having 60 and Marcelinho, 59.

In June 2015, Ceni scored his 128th goal, entering in the club's top 10 goalscorers list. Ceni announced his retirement from professional football on 6 December 2015.

International career

A Brazilian international for nine years, Ceni collected 16 caps. He was selected to the squads that won the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2002 FIFA World Cup (and the 2006 World Cup, still not fully recovered from knee surgery), but only appeared in two games in final stages, the 3–2 win against Mexico in the first tournament and the 4–1 triumph over Japan in the third.

Coaching career

São Paulo

In December 2016, Ceni was appointed as São Paulo coach, with Englishman Michael Beale and Frenchman Charles Hembert joining as his assistants. On 3 July 2017, after poor results – São Paulo were eliminated in State League, Brazilian Cup and 2017 Copa Sudamericana into a period of one month and were in the relegation zone in Brazilian League, he was sacked.

Fortaleza

Ceni signed with Fortaleza to coach the team in 2018. On 3 November of that year, Fortaleza clinched promotion to the Série A, and seven days later, the club clinched the Série B title for the first time in its history. In 2019, Fortaleza also won the Campeonato Cearense and the Copa do Nordeste.

Cruzeiro

On 11 August 2019, Ceni was named Cruzeiro head coach, but was dismissed on 26 September, after having altercations with the club's main players, specifically Thiago Neves and Dedé.

Fortaleza return

Three days after his dismissal from Cruzeiro, Ceni was announced at his former side Fortaleza, replacing fired Zé Ricardo. On 22 October 2020, he again won the Ceará state title, his fourth title with Fortaleza.

Flamengo

On 10 November 2020, Ceni agreed to a contract with Flamengo until December 2021, replacing the sacked Domènec Torrent. He won the 2020 Série A with the club, but was sacked on 10 July 2021.

São Paulo return

Ceni as head coach of São Paulo in 2022

Ceni returned to São Paulo on 13 October 2021, being named head coach in the place of Hernán Crespo. He lost both the 2022 Campeonato Paulista and the 2022 Copa Sudamericana Finals, against Palmeiras and Independiente del Valle, respectively.

On 19 April 2023, Ceni was sacked from Tricolor.

Bahia

On 9 September 2023, Ceni replaced Renato Paiva at the helm of Bahia.

Style of play

A dead-ball specialist, Ceni was the official taker of free kicks and penalties for São Paulo from 1997 until his retirement, a time period in which he scored 131 goals. In addition to his accurate set-pieces, prolific goalscoring, distribution, and ability with the ball at his feet, he was also known as an excellent goalkeeper and shot-stopper, and stood out for his determination and longevity throughout his career, as he retired at over 40 years of age. Ceni was known for being capable of producing brilliant saves, such as those in the final of the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup, which saw São Paulo defeat Liverpool 1–0; for his performances, Ceni later won the Golden Ball, which is awarded to the competition's best player. He is considered to be one of Brazil's greatest goalkeepers ever.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State league Copa do Brasil Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sinop 1990 Mato-Grossense 12 0 12 0
São Paulo 1993 Série A 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0
1994 5 0 3 0 0 0 8 0 5 0 21 0
1995 4 0 12 0 4 0 20 0
1996 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 0
1997 25 2 25 1 4 0 9 0 4 0 67 3
1998 22 0 14 2 6 0 5 0 10 0 57 2
1999 23 1 16 3 3 0 6 1 10 0 58 5
2000 24 3 20 3 12 1 5 0 12 0 73 7
2001 22 0 12 1 6 0 4 0 12 2 56 1
2002 21 1 8 1 0 0 21 3 50 5
2003 40 2 11 0 6 0 8 0 65 2
2004 44 3 9 0 16 2 69 5
2005 38 10 19 5 16 5 2 1 75 21
2006 29 8 13 5 13 3 2 0 57 16
2007 35 7 20 2 13 1 68 10
2008 35 4 21 1 11 0 67 5
2009 16 2 15 0 3 0 34 2
2010 38 4 20 3 12 1 70 8
2011 36 2 21 6 7 0 4 0 68 8
2012 24 3 0 0 0 0 10 1 34 4
2013 35 2 13 1 16 3 3 0 67 6
2014 35 8 14 1 6 1 8 0 63 10
2015 23 3 15 4 5 1 8 0 51 8
Total 575 65 295 38 67 4 175 17 85 5 1197 129
Career total 575 65 307 38 67 4 175 17 85 5 1209 129
  1. ^ Includes Campeonato Mato-Grossense, Campeonato Paulista
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in CONMEBOL Gold Cup
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Copa CONMEBOL
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Bandeirantes
  5. ^ One appearance in Copa Master de CONMEBOL, one appearance in CONMEBOL Gold Cup
  6. ^ Appearance(s) in Supercopa Libertadores
  7. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Torneio Rio – São Paulo
  8. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Copa Mercosur
  9. ^ Eight appearances in Torneio Rio – São Paulo, two appearances in Seletiva para a Libertadores
  10. ^ Eight appearances in Torneio Rio – São Paulo, four appearances in Copa dos Campeões
  11. ^ Six appearances in Torneio Rio – São Paulo, six appearances and one goal in Copa dos Campeões
  12. ^ Nineteen appearances and three goals in Torneio Rio – São Paulo, two appearances in Copa dos Campeões
  13. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Copa Sudamericana
  14. ^ Twelve appearances and two goals in Copa Libertadores, four appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  15. ^ Fourteen appearances and five goals in Copa Libertadores, two appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  16. ^ Appearance(s) in FIFA Club World Cup
  17. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  18. ^ Appearance(s) in Recopa Sudamericana
  19. ^ Eight appearances in Copa Libertadores, five appearances and one goal in Copa Sudamericana
  20. ^ Ten appearances in Copa Libertadores, one appearance in Copa Sudamericana
  21. ^ Ten appearances and three goals in Copa Libertadores, six appearances in Copa Sudamericana
  22. ^ Two appearances in Recopa Sudamericana, one appearance in Suruga Bank Championship

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 1997 1 0
1998 2 0
1999 3 0
2000 3 0
2001 4 0
2002 1 0
2003 0 0
2004 1 0
2005 0 0
2006 2 0
Total 17 0

Coaching statistics

As of match played 3 March 2024
Coaching record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
São Paulo Brazil 19 January 2017 3 July 2017 35 14 11 10 55 39 +16 040.00
Fortaleza Brazil 10 November 2017 11 August 2019 95 52 18 25 137 83 +54 054.74
Cruzeiro Brazil 12 August 2019 26 September 2019 8 2 2 4 8 12 −4 025.00
Fortaleza Brazil 29 September 2019 9 November 2020 54 26 15 13 86 47 +39 048.15
Flamengo Brazil 10 November 2020 10 July 2021 54 30 12 12 101 58 +43 055.56
São Paulo Brazil 13 October 2021 19 April 2023 106 49 28 29 156 107 +49 046.23
Bahia Brazil 8 September 2023 Present 28 17 1 10 57 30 +27 060.71
Total 380 190 87 103 600 376 +224 050.00

Honours

Player

Sinop

São Paulo

Brazil

Individual

Coach

Fortaleza

Flamengo

Individual

  • Campeonato Cearense Best Coach: 2019, 2020
  • Campeonato Paulista Best Coach: 2022
  • Bola de Prata: 2020

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-06 12:35 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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