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| Rogerio Ceni |
"The respect and recognition for the greatness of Rogerio Ceni as a historical figure of this club will be celebrated forever” - Sao Paulo President.
Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni hangs up his gloves as record ...
Growing up, I used to be worried when I see goalkeepers moving into the opponent’s goal area in the dying minutes of the game as their teams search for a critical goal.
I didn’t understand this tactic until I encountered some goalkeepers who scored critical goals for their teams at the right time.
These days, we find more goalkeepers who play more like outfield players.
Goalkeepers like Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer tend to move out of their goal area to help the team’s forward push.
Despite this recent trend, only few of these goalkeepers have found the back of the net for their team like we have witnessed in the past.
But there is one goalkeeper who defied all odds to become the highest scoring goalkeeper of all time.
He didn’t just score goals, he scored spectacular free-kicks and penalty kicks.
Career
Brazilian Goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni was born on 22 January, 1973, in Pato Branco, Brazil where he grew up playing football.
Standing at 6 ft 2 inches, the veteran shot-stopper began his career in 1987 with local club Sinop FC as a youngster, where he made no appearances for the team.
His search for greener pastures led him to join Sao Paulo in 1990 where he spent 6 years as a backup goalkeeper.
His breakthrough eventually came in 1997 when Zetti, the club’s number one choice, left for Santos.
In 23 years and 575 league appearances for Sao Paulo, Rogerio Ceni scored 65 goals in the Brazilian Serie A, all from set-pieces.
In 2002, he was part of the Brazil squad that conquered the world at the Korea/Japan FIFA World Cup, although he wasn’t first choice.
Between 2005 and 2007, the set-piece specialist scored 47 goals which helped his team win 2 national championships and the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup.
Enroute the final of the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup, Rogerio Ceni scored a penalty kick in the 3-2 win over Ittihad FC.
In the final against Liverpool FC, his exploits against the Rafael Benitez-led side helped his team win the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup.
He also picked up the Man of the Match award and also the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
He also lifted the Copa Libertadores trophy in 2005 with Sao Paulo which qualified them for the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup.
Most Memorable Match
His most memorable career game came when his team played against Cruzeiro on the 20th of August, 2006.
First, he saved a penalty kick. Not long afterwards, Sao Paulo won a free-kick and Rogerio Ceni stepped up to convert it.
Later in that match, his team won a penalty kick which Rogerio Ceni converted with much ease for the 64th goal of his goalkeeping career.
Scoring His 100th Goal
When Fernandinho was brought down meters from the penalty area and the referee awarded a free-kick, the Sao Paulo fans grew wild in jubilation.
As Rogerio Ceni ran up the pitch to take the set-piece, the cheers grew louder.
This was their goalkeeper's chance to score the 100th goal of his career, and against no other team but their bitter rivals Corinthians.
Standing in goal behind the Corinthians wall was Julio Cesar who was in superb form.
For a moment, Rogerio Ceni doubted himself but when his teammate urged him on, he gracefully sent the ball over the wall.
As the ball traveled towards goal, the entire Stadium went silent that you could hear a pin drop. Kaboom! The ball lodged itself into the top-right corner of Julio Cesar's goal and the whole stadium erupted into wild jubilation.
Thus, he scored his 100th goal in March 2011.
Still Going Strong
After being sidelined by an injury for months, he announced his return with a bang when he scored a free-kick to help his team to a 2-0 victory over Bahia in the Copa Sundamericana tie.
In a game against Botafogo in the Brazilian Serie A, he surpassed Paraguay's Jose Luiz Chilavert when he scored again.
Few months to his retirement, he netted another free-kick that brought his free-kick goal tally to 60.
His 60th free-kick goal helped him surpass Marcelinho Carioca, a Brazilian free-kick specialist who was the most successful player to don the colors of Corinthians.
Conclusion
As at the time of his retirement in December 2015, he had scored a record 131 goals in 1237 appearances for the only football club he played for in his professional career.
Rogerio Ceni earned his team’s trust by displaying his accuracy in between the sticks and dead ball situations.
A GK with 131 goals! OTD in 1997, Rogerio Ceni scored his 1st goal ...
Since his retirement, he has gone on to manage Sao Paulo, Fortaleza and Cruzeiro.
He is currently on his second managerial stint with Fortaleza since taking over last year.
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