Paolo Montero facts for kids
Montero in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rónald Paolo Montero Iglesias | ||
| Date of birth | 3 September 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990 | Peñarol | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1992 | Peñarol | 34 | (1) |
| 1992–1996 | Atalanta | 114 | (4) |
| 1996–2005 | Juventus | 186 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | San Lorenzo | 14 | (1) |
| 2006–2007 | Peñarol | 46 | (1) |
| Total | 394 | (8) | |
| International career | |||
| 1991–2005 | Uruguay | 61 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | Peñarol (caretaker) | ||
| 2016 | Boca Unidos | ||
| 2016 | Colón | ||
| 2017 | Rosario Central | ||
| 2019–2020 | Sambenedettese | ||
| 2021 | Sambenedettese | ||
| 2021 | San Lorenzo | ||
| 2024 | Juventus (caretaker) | ||
| 2024 | Juventus Next Gen | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rónald Paolo Montero Iglesias (born on September 3, 1971) is a football manager and former player from Uruguay. He was known for playing as a central defender or a left-back.
Montero started his football journey in Uruguay with Peñarol in 1990. He then moved to Italy in 1992 to play for Atalanta. In 1996, he joined Juventus, one of Italy's biggest clubs. He stayed there until 2005, winning many important trophies, including four Serie A titles. After Juventus, he played for San Lorenzo in Argentina. In 2006, he returned to Peñarol, where he retired in 2007. Paolo Montero also played for the Uruguay national football team. He represented his country in major tournaments like the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the 2004 Copa América.
Contents
Paolo Montero's Club Career
Starting at Peñarol
Paolo Montero was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He came from a family that loved football; his father, Julio Montero Castillo, was also a famous player for Uruguay. When Paolo was a kid, he had to get good grades in school. If he didn't, his dad wouldn't let him go to football practice! Paolo began his professional career with Peñarol in 1990. He played for the club for two seasons, appearing in 34 games and scoring one goal. After that, he moved to Italy to play for Atalanta in 1992.
Playing for Atalanta
When Montero joined Atalanta, he quickly became a key player in their defense. In his first season in Serie A, he played 27 league games and scored two goals. In his second season, he played 30 games, but the team was relegated to Serie B (the second division). Montero helped his team get promoted back to Serie A right away, playing in 34 games and scoring two goals in Serie B. During the 1995–1996 Serie A season, he faced some injuries, playing in 23 games. After four impressive years with Atalanta, Montero made a big move to the powerful Italian club, Juventus.
Success with Juventus
Paolo Montero joined Juventus in Turin in 1996. In his first season, he played over 30 games in all competitions. At Juventus, he achieved huge success. He won four Italian league titles, called scudetti, with the club. He also won three Italian Supercups. Montero played in three Champions League finals and two Coppa Italia finals with Juventus. He was known to be a close friend of Zinedine Zidane during their time together at Juventus.
During this time, Juventus was very strong in Italy and in Europe. They had one of the best defenses in the world. It was very hard for other teams to score against them once Juventus had a lead. Montero played as both a centre-back and a left-back. He formed strong defensive partnerships with players like Ciro Ferrara and Lilian Thuram. After the 2004–05 Serie A win, Montero decided to leave Juventus. He had played over 200 games for the club. In the 2003 UEFA Champions League final, Montero was one of the Juventus players whose penalty kick was saved by the AC Milan goalkeeper, Dida. Montero is one of the players who played in the most Champions League finals (three) without ever winning the trophy.
Time at San Lorenzo
After leaving Juventus, Montero moved to the Argentinian club San Lorenzo. However, his time there was short because he often missed games due to injuries. He played only 14 games and scored one goal. In 2006, he received offers from other clubs, but Montero chose to return to his first club, Peñarol.
Returning to Peñarol
For the 2006–07 season, Montero rejoined Peñarol for one final season. He scored one goal in 26 matches during his last year as a professional footballer. He officially announced his retirement in May 2007.
Paolo Montero's International Career
Paolo Montero was an important player for the Uruguay national football team. He first played for his country in a big tournament at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Uruguay finished fourth. He had also played for the Uruguay Under-20 team in 1991.
He helped the senior team qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, the talented Uruguayan team was unfortunately eliminated in the group stage of the tournament. In the 2004 Copa América, Montero and Uruguay reached the semi-finals and finished in third place. Montero also served as the captain for his country. He led them in their attempt to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in a playoff against Australia. Uruguay had beaten Australia to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Sadly, Montero got a hamstring injury during the second game in Sydney. Australia then won the match and qualified for the World Cup after a penalty shootout. After this defeat, Montero announced his retirement from international football. He played over 60 games for Uruguay between 1991 and 2006, scoring 5 goals.
Paolo Montero's Playing Style
Paolo Montero is considered one of the best defenders of his time and one of Juventus's greatest ever centre-backs. People described him as "skillful with the ball and calm under pressure." He was also called a "wonderfully talented and intelligent footballer." In his best years, he was seen as one of the top defenders in the world. He was known for being "fearsome, unmoving, and essential" in a defense that won many titles in Italy and Europe.
Montero was a versatile defender. He could play in the center (as a stopper or a sweeper) or on the left side of the defense. He was known for his strength, consistency, leadership, and how well he organized the defense. Montero was also good at heading the ball, had great timing, and could pass the ball well.
However, he was also often criticized for being very aggressive and tackling hard during games. He sometimes received unnecessary yellow and red cards. He holds the record for the most red cards received by a player in Serie A history, with 16 send-offs. In total, he was sent off 21 times in his career. In 2007, The Times newspaper listed him as number 39 in their list of the 50 hardest footballers ever. Former Welsh player Ryan Giggs said that Montero and his Juventus teammate Ciro Ferrara were "the toughest defenders [he] played against."
Paolo Montero's Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Paolo Montero started a career as a football manager. He has worked in his home country, Uruguay, with Peñarol. He also managed teams in Argentina, including Boca Unidos, Colón, and Rosario Central.
In June 2019, he returned to Italy to become the head coach of Serie C club Sambenedettese. He was later dismissed in October 2020 but was brought back as coach in February 2021. In June 2022, Montero was appointed as the head coach of Juventus U19, which is the youth team for Juventus. In May 2024, he briefly served as the caretaker head coach for the main Juventus team for two games. He was then promoted to manage Juventus Next Gen, the Under-23 team that plays in Serie C. However, he left this role in November 2024.
Paolo Montero's Personal Life
Paolo Montero's son, Alfonso, has also followed in his father's footsteps. Alfonso played for the Uruguay Under-17 team in 2022 and 2023. He later signed with Juventus, just like his father did.
Paolo Montero's Honours
Club Trophies
- Juventus
- Serie A (Italian League Title): 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Supercup): 1997, 2002, 2003
- UEFA Super Cup (European Super Cup): 1996
- Intercontinental Cup: 1996
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
- UEFA Champions League: Runner-up in 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03
Individual Awards
- FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Year: 1997
- IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team (Team B)
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Montero para niños
