Roberto Abbondanzieri facts for kids
Abbondanzieri in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roberto Carlos Abbondancieri | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Bouquet, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rosario Central | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1996 | Rosario Central | 57 | (0) |
| 1996–2006 | Boca Juniors | 204 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Getafe | 83 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Boca Juniors | 22 | (0) |
| 2010 | Internacional | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 374 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989 | Argentina U-17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2004–2008 | Argentina | 46 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2012–2013 | Godoy Cruz (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Arsenal de Sarandí (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2018 | Unión Española (assistant) | ||
| 2019 | Pachuca (assistant) | ||
| 2020–2021 | Curicó Unido (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri (also spelled Abbondancieri), born on August 19, 1972, is a famous Argentine former football player. People often called him El Pato, which means The Duck. He played as a goalkeeper, which is the player who protects the goal.
He spent most of his playing years with Boca Juniors in his home country, Argentina. He also played for Getafe in Spain's top league, La Liga. After he stopped playing football, he started a new career as a coach. Abbondanzieri also played for the Argentina national football team from 2004 to 2008. He took part in two Copa America tournaments and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting His Career
Roberto Abbondanzieri was born in Bouquet, Santa Fe, Argentina. He played his first professional game on December 6, 1994, for Rosario Central. With this team, he quickly won the CONMEBOL Cup in 1995. He stayed with Rosario Central until 1997.
After that, he moved to Boca Juniors, one of Argentina's biggest clubs. At Boca, he was the backup goalkeeper, learning from the main goalie, Óscar Córdoba. Roberto got his chance to play more when Córdoba got injured in 1999. However, Roberto himself then got a shoulder injury during a game against River Plate.
When he recovered, he went back to being the backup until February 2002. That's when Córdoba moved to an Italian club. This opened the door for Roberto to become Boca Juniors' main goalkeeper.
A Name Change and Big Wins
In July 2002, Roberto changed the spelling of his last name from "Abbondancieri" to "Abbondanzieri." The original spelling was changed by mistake when his grandfather moved to Argentina. He changed it back to the correct spelling because he was thinking about moving to play football in Europe and wanted to make sure his Italian citizenship was clear.
In 2003, he was named the best goalkeeper in South America. He also set a record at Boca Juniors by winning 14 titles with the club. This record was later broken by another player, Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
Playing in Spain with Getafe
In June 2006, Roberto Abbondanzieri signed a three-year contract with Getafe CF, a team in Spain's top league, La Liga. He felt it was the right time to play in Europe. In his first season in Spain (2006–07), he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy. This award is given to the best goalkeeper in the Spanish league who lets in the fewest goals. He only allowed 30 goals in 37 matches.
On April 10, 2008, Getafe played against Bayern Munich in a UEFA Cup quarter-final match. During extra time, Roberto made a mistake. He couldn't hold onto a free kick, and the ball slipped under him. This allowed a Bayern player to score. Bayern then scored again, and Getafe lost the game because of the away goals rule.
Coming Back to South America
Roberto continued to play for Getafe for the first part of the 2008–2009 season. But he asked to move back to Boca Juniors for the 2009 Clausura tournament. He became Boca's number one goalkeeper again. He also played in the Copa Libertadores, a big South American club tournament.
On February 16, 2010, another South American club, Internacional from Brazil, signed Roberto from Boca Juniors. Roberto Abbondanzieri officially retired from playing football on December 18, 2010. His last game was for Internacional against Seongnam in the FIFA Club World Cup, which Internacional won 4–2.
Playing for His Country
Roberto Abbondanzieri played for Argentina's youth team in the 1989 FIFA U-17 World Championship.
As he became a regular goalkeeper for Boca Juniors, he also started playing for the Argentina national football team. In June 2004, he became Argentina's main goalkeeper. He played in the Copa América 2004 and in the qualification games for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
On May 6, 2006, he was chosen to be part of Argentina's team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by coach José Pekerman.
During the World Cup quarter-finals on June 30, 2006, Argentina played against the host country, Germany. Roberto got injured during this game. A German player accidentally hit him in the chest. Roberto tried to continue playing but had to leave the field a few minutes later. He was replaced by Leo Franco. Argentina later lost the game in a penalty shootout.
After the 2006 World Cup, Roberto continued to be Argentina's first-choice goalkeeper. He played in all six games at the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela, where Argentina reached the final but lost to Brazil. He also played in the early qualification games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, he got injured during a game against Paraguay. After he recovered, a new coach, Diego Maradona, took over the national team and did not include Roberto in the squad.
Coaching Career
In November 2012, Roberto Abbondanzieri became an assistant coach for his former Boca Juniors teammate, Martín Palermo, at the club Godoy Cruz. In April 2014, Roberto, Palermo, and another former player, Rolando Schiavi, took on the same coaching roles at Arsenal de Sarandí.
Roberto and Palermo then moved to Chile in May 2016 to coach Unión Española. On November 28, 2020, Roberto Abbondanzieri was named assistant coach at another Chilean club, Curicó Unido, again working with Martín Palermo. However, in May 2021, Roberto announced that he would step away from football coaching. He wanted to spend more time with his family.
Personal Life
Roberto Abbondanzieri shares his nickname, "El Pato" (The Duck), with another famous Argentine goalkeeper named Ubaldo Fillol.
Honours and Awards
Roberto Abbondanzieri won many titles and awards during his football career:
With Rosario Central
- Copa CONMEBOL: 1995
With Boca Juniors
- Argentine League: He won the league championship six times (1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura, 2000 Apertura, 2003 Apertura, 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura).
- Copa Libertadores: He won this important South American club tournament three times (2000, 2001, 2003). He was also a runner-up in 2004.
- Copa Sudamericana: He won this cup twice (2004, 2005).
- Recopa Sudamericana: He won this cup once (2005).
- Intercontinental Cup: He won this international club trophy twice (2000, 2003).
With Internacional
- Copa Libertadores: He won this tournament once (2010).
Individual Awards
- Best goalkeeper in South America: 2003
- Best goalkeeper of the Copa Sudamericana: 2005
- Best Player of the Final in the Copa Sudamericana: 2005
- Ricardo Zamora Trophy (best goalkeeper in Spain's La Liga): 2006–07
- Named among the Top 10 Goalkeepers of the 21st Century by IFFHS (2001–2011).
See also
In Spanish: Roberto Abbondanzieri para niños
