Paolo Montero
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| Paolo Montero | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paolo Rónald Montero Iglesias | |
| Date of birth | September 3, 1971 | |
| Place of birth | Montevideo, Uruguay | |
| Height | 1.81m (5ft 11in) | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1990–1992 1992–1996 1996–2005 2005–2006 2006–2007 |
Peñarol Atalanta Juventus San Lorenzo Peñarol |
34 (1) 114 (2) 196 (1) 14 (1) 21 (1) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1991-2005[1] [2] | Uruguay | 61 (5) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Paolo Rónald Montero Iglesias (born September 3, 1971 in Montevideo) is a former Uruguayan footballer who played as a central defender or Left back. He is well known for his poor disciplinary record and rough tackles[3], which have earned him a reputation as "being something of an uncompromising hardman"[4]; he currently holds the record for the greatest number of red cards received in Serie A[5]. However, he has also been described as "skillful on the ball and calm under pressure"[4], and a "wonderfully talented and intelligent footballer".[5] His international reputation is one of a man who was "fearsome, immovable and essential, in a back line that conquered Italy and Europe."[6]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Montero was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, into a footballing family; his father is former Uruguay international Julio Montero Castillo. As a child, Paolo had to maintain good grades at school, otherwise his father would not allow to him to attend football practice.[6] As a professional, Montero played for Peñarol and Atalanta prior to joining Juventus in 1996. It was here that he achieved great success with the club, winning four scudetti with the Turin club, which he left in 2005[7]; Montero was believed to have been Zinedine Zidane's best friend during the pair's time together at Juventus.[6] In the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final, Montero was one of the three Juventus players to have their penalty saved by AC Milan keeper Dida in the shootout, who appeared to come off his line on each occasion.
After his tenure at Juventus, he moved to Argentinian club San Lorenzo. His time at San Lorenzo was short lived however, as he constantly missed games due to injuries. Montero also captained his country in their bid to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in an intercontinental playoff against Australia, the country the Uruguayans defeated on route to qualify for the 2002 tournament four years before. Sadly for Montero, he limped off with a hamstring injury during the second game in Sydney, and Australia qualified for the World Cup winning 4-2 on penalties. After the defeat, Montero immediately announced his international retirement, saying "[w]hat happened today was such a pity as this group of players deserved to be at the World Cup finals."[8]
In 2006, offers came in from clubs such as Olympiakos[9]; however, Paolo chose to go to his personal childhood club (and where he began his career), Uruguayan Peñarol.
[edit] Retirement
Paolo Montero reportedly retired in late May after attending a team training session in order to say goodbye to his teammates. His current squad are trying to persuade him to come back to football, with teammate Ruben Capria saying that "[i]t's a tough blow to lose our captain".[10] [11]
He also played in Marcelo Salas farewell match.
[edit] Honours
- Serie A (4)
- Coppa Italia
- Supercoppa Italiana (3)
- UEFA Champions League
- UEFA Super Cup (1)
- Winner: 1996
- Intercontinental Cup (1)
- Winner: 1996
- UEFA Intertoto Cup (1)
- Winner: 1999
[edit] References
- ^ CNN. "CNN Sports Illustrated". http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/world/2002/world_cup/players/uruguay/. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
- ^ "2006 World Fifa World Cup Info". http://www.2006fifaworldcup.info/latest-news/uruguays-montero-retires/. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
- ^ Four Four Two. "Four Four Two Interview". http://www.fourfourtwo.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Interviews/0,,11442~893292,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
- ^ a b ABC Sport. "World Cup 2002 Information". http://www.abc.net.au/worldcup2002/uruguay/s554112.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ a b BBC Sport. "Montero the key for Uruguay Information". http://www.abc.net.au/worldcup2002/uruguay/s554112.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ a b c Goal.com. "The Great Centre-Backs". http://www.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=79275. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ Yahoo. "Paolo Montero Profile". http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/fo/profiles/4293.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
- ^ Yahoo. "A sad farewell for Montero". http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/051116/1/59mi.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
- ^ Geocities/Juventus Football club. "Rumors". http://www.geocities.com/juventusfootball/rumors6.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
- ^ Reuters. "Uruguay hardman Montero reported to have retired". http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKL222151420070522. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
- ^ SuperSoccer. "Montero reported to have retired". http://www.supersoccer.co.za/default.asp?id=216133&des=article&scat=supersoccer/international. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
[edit] External links
- International statistics at rsssf
- Career statistics at National Football Teams
- (Spanish) Profile at Tenfield
- (Spanish) Profile at Futbol Factory (Archived)
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