Cesare Bovo facts for kids

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Cesare Bovo

Bovo in action during Torino–Zenit, 19 March 2015
Personal information
Full name	Cesare Bovo
Date of birth	(1983-01-14) 14 January 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth	Rome, Italy
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Centre back
Youth career
1999–2002	Roma
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2002	Roma	0	(0)
2002–2004	Lecce	30	(2)
2004–2006	Roma	22	(0)
2004–2005	→ Parma (loan)	31	(2)
2006–2007	Palermo	1	(0)
2007	→ Torino (loan)	7	(1)
2007–2008	Genoa	27	(0)
2008–2011	Palermo	89	(7)
2011–2013	Genoa	21	(0)
2013–2017	Torino	56	(2)
2017–2018	Pescara	18	(0)
2018–2019	Lecce	9	(0)
National team
2000	Italy U16	3	(0)
2000–2001	Italy U17	9	(1)
2001	Italy U19	7	(1)
2002–2003	Italy U20	8	(4)
2004–2006	Italy U21	27	(2)
Honours Representing  Italy Olympic Games Men's Football Bronze 2004 Athens Team Competition
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:59, 9 September 2019 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Cesare Bovo (born on January 14, 1983) is an Italian former professional footballer. He played as a centre back, which means he was a key player in defense, helping to stop the other team from scoring goals.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out: Early Years

Cesare Bovo began his football journey in the youth team of AS Roma. In the 2001–02 season, he played one game in the Coppa Italia, which is a cup competition in Italy.

In 2002, he moved to US Lecce. He played there for two years. His first game in Serie A, Italy's top league, was on October 5, 2003. On May 2, 2004, he scored a goal against Internazionale. This goal helped Lecce avoid being moved down to a lower league. He scored 2 goals that season, which was his personal best at the time.

In 2004, Bovo joined Parma on a temporary deal. He scored 2 goals in the league again, matching his previous record. After this, he returned to his hometown club, AS Roma, in 2005. He often had to compete with other strong defenders for playing time. Sometimes, his coach, Luciano Spalletti, even played him as a full-back, which is a different defensive role.

In 2006, Bovo moved to Palermo. In January 2007, he went to Torino for a short time. He played his first game for Torino on February 24, 2007, against Chievo. After his time at Torino, he returned to Palermo briefly before joining Genoa in July 2007.

Back to Palermo

Bovo playing for Palermo against CSKA Moscow in 2010

In June 2008, Cesare Bovo returned to Palermo. He made his debut in a cup game against Ravenna. His first goal for Palermo was against Genoa, scored with a powerful shot from far away. He played alongside other defenders like Simon Kjær and Andrea Raggi. He ended the season with 28 games played. He was also a vice-captain for Palermo, along with Fabrizio Miccoli.

The 2009–10 season was one of his best. He scored his first goal of that season on October 25, 2009, in a win against Udinese. He had a foot injury that needed surgery in April 2010. But he came back quickly and scored a goal in a 3–1 win against AC Milan. He finished the season with 29 league games and 2 goals.

In the 2010–11 season, he wore the captain's armband for the first time on December 11, 2010. On January 22, 2011, he scored the winning goal from a free kick in the 86th minute against Brescia. This goal again matched his personal record for goals in a season. On April 10, 2011, he played his 100th game for Palermo.

On April 23, he scored his third league goal of the season from a penalty kick, setting a new personal scoring record. In the Coppa Italia semi-final against Milan, he scored another penalty goal. Palermo reached the final but lost to Inter. Bovo was not able to play in the final because he had been sent off in the previous game. He finished the season with 43 games and 5 goals across different competitions.

After playing two more games in the Europa League in the 2011–12 season, he left Palermo. He had played a total of 108 games and scored 8 goals for the club.

Back to Genoa

On August 23, 2011, Cesare Bovo went back to Genoa on a loan deal. He played his first game for Genoa on September 11, 2011. He got injured early in the season and missed many games.

In January 2012, Genoa bought him completely. He returned to play on April 7, 2012. However, he got another knee injury in a match against Siena, which ended his season early. He had played 8 games that season. On November 18, 2012, he scored an own goal during a derby match against Sampdoria.

Back to Torino

On July 9, 2013, Bovo returned to Torino for free, six years after his first time there. In the 2013–14 season, he played 20 league games. In June 2014, he signed a new contract until 2016.

He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season on October 31, 2015, in the Turin derby against Juventus. He scored the goal that tied the game for a short time, but Torino still lost 2–1. On November 22, he scored the winning goal against Atalanta. A few days later, he extended his contract with Torino until 2017.

Pescara

On January 4, 2017, Cesare Bovo was sold to Pescara. He played for two seasons in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Back to Lecce

On September 12, 2018, he made his return to Lecce, the club where he first played in Serie A.

Playing for Italy

Cesare Bovo was an important player for the Italy under-21 team. He was even their captain. In 2004, his team won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. He scored a goal in the final against Serbia, and Italy won 3–0.

He also played for Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics football tournament. In the quarterfinals, he scored the winning goal in extra time against Mali. Italy went on to win a bronze medal at these Olympics.

In 2006, he played in his second European Under-21 tournament, but Italy was eliminated early. In August 2010, he was called up to the senior national team by coach Cesare Prandelli. He was part of the squad for matches against Estonia and Faroe Islands, but he did not play in those games.

How He Played

Cesare Bovo was mainly a central defender. This means he played in the middle of the defense. He could also play as a left-back. He was known for being good at controlling the ball. He was also a specialist at free-kicks, meaning he was very good at taking shots from set pieces, and he had a powerful shot from long range.

After Playing: Coaching

After he stopped playing football, Cesare Bovo started a coaching career. He joined Fabio Liverani's coaching team at Lecce in 2019. He then followed Liverani to Parma in 2020. In June 2022, he joined Cagliari as part of Liverani's staff, but he left in December that year. In 2023, he returned to Palermo to join the coaching staff there.

Career Numbers

Club

Awards and Trophies

Club

Roma

• Serie A: 2000–01

International

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Germany 2004
• Olympic bronze: Athens 2004

Special Recognition

• 
  5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2004

See also

In Spanish: Cesare Bovo para niños