Paolo Montero
Encyclopedia
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 has been described as "skillful on the ball and calm under pressure", and a "wonderfully talented and intelligent footballer". His international reputation is one of a man who was "fearsome, immovable and essential, in a back line that conquered Italy
and Europe
.". He is well known for his poor disciplinary record and rough tackles as well as his long spell with Italian
giants Juventus FC., which have earned him a reputation as "being something of an uncompromising hardman"; he currently holds the record for the greatest number of red cards received in Serie A
.
, 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. As a professional, Montero started his career for C.A. Peñarol
in 1990 and remained with the club for 2 seasons, making 34 appearances and scoring one goal, before transferring to Atalanta B.C.
in the Italian
Serie A
in 1992.
-based club, Montero became an instant fixture in the club's starting eleven, and was a key member of their defense. He managed 27 league appearances and two goals in his debut Serie A
season. In his second season with the club, he managed 30 starts, however the club's season ended in relegation to Serie B
. In the second division, Montero appeared in 34 games, scoring two goals, helping his team to immediate promotion back to Serie A. During the 1995–1996 Serie A season, Montero struggled with injuries, only making 23 appearances. After impressing greatly during his 4 year stay in Bergamo, Montero made the highly anticipated switch to the Italian and European powerhouse, Juventus FC.
, Montero made over 30 appearances in his first season with Juventus in all competitions. It was here, even after an impressive first season, that he achieved great success, winning four scudetti with the club, along with other honours.; Montero was believed to have been the best friend of Zinedine Zidane
during the pair's time together at Juventus, which ended when Zidane was sold to Real Madrid
in 2001.
Juventus had what was considered as the best defense in the world at this time, and teams strongly regretted ever going down a goal to the club, as they knew how hard it would be to score one back for themselves. Montero played at both center back and left back during this period, forming impressive defensive partnerships with the likes of Ciro Ferrara
, Mark Iuliano
, Gianluca Pessotto
, Lilian Thuram
, Alessandro Birindelli
, Igor Tudor
, Gianluca Zambrotta
, Nicola Legrottaglie
, and Fabio Cannavaro
during his 10-year tenure with the club. After the 2004–2005 Serie A triumph, Montero and teammate Ferrara called it quits on their Juventus careers. The Uruguayan opted to return to South America, while Ferrara retired. Montero made over 200 appearances for i bianconeri, scoring one league goal. 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.
. His time at the club was short-lived however, as he constantly missed games due to injuries. He left the club after just 14 appearances and scored one goal against Racing Club de Avellaneda
. In 2006, offers came in from clubs such as Olympiakos and newly promoted Serie A club Catania
; however, Montero chose to return to his childhood club where he began his career, C.A. Peñarol
.
in an intercontinental playoff against Australia, the country the Uruguayans defeated by a very convincing margin of 3–0 to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament four years before. Sadly for Montero, he limped off with a hamstring injury during the second game in Sydney
, and later Australia
went on to narrowly snatch the win and the World cup qualification via penalties. After the defeat, Montero immediately announced his international retirement, saying "what happened today was such a pity as this group of players deserved to be at the World Cup finals." Montero made over 60 appearances for his country in between 1991 and 2006.
saying that "it's a tough blow to lose our captain".
He played his final match in which also was Marcelo Salas
' farewell match. Salas also was formerly of Juventus, however with a much less impact on the Italian
club.
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
) is a former Uruguayan
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played as a central defender or left back. He has been described as "skillful on the ball and calm under pressure", and a "wonderfully talented and intelligent footballer". His international reputation is one of a man who was "fearsome, immovable and essential, in a back line that conquered Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.". He is well known for his poor disciplinary record and rough tackles as well as his long spell with Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
giants Juventus FC., which have earned him a reputation as "being something of an uncompromising hardman"; he currently holds the record for the greatest number of red cards received in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
.
C.A. Peñarol
Montero was born in MontevideoMontevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, into a footballing family; his father is former Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
international Julio Montero Castillo
Julio Montero Castillo
Julio César Montero Castillo is a former Uruguayan international footballer who played as a defender.During his club career he played for Uruguayan sides Liverpool and Nacional, Independiente of Argentina, and Spanish side Granada.He represented the Uruguay national football team in the 1970 FIFA...
. As a child, Paolo had to maintain good grades at school, otherwise his father would not allow to him to attend football practice. As a professional, Montero started his career for C.A. Peñarol
C.A. Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol also known as Carboneros, Aurinegros and familiarly as Manya, is an Uruguayan sports club based in the Peñarol barrio, Montevideo, best known for its professional football team. The team plays their home matches in Estadio Centenario, the largest stadium in the country, but...
in 1990 and remained with the club for 2 seasons, making 34 appearances and scoring one goal, before transferring to Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
in 1992.
Atalanta BC
After transferring to the BergamoBergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
-based club, Montero became an instant fixture in the club's starting eleven, and was a key member of their defense. He managed 27 league appearances and two goals in his debut Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
season. In his second season with the club, he managed 30 starts, however the club's season ended in relegation to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. In the second division, Montero appeared in 34 games, scoring two goals, helping his team to immediate promotion back to Serie A. During the 1995–1996 Serie A season, Montero struggled with injuries, only making 23 appearances. After impressing greatly during his 4 year stay in Bergamo, Montero made the highly anticipated switch to the Italian and European powerhouse, Juventus FC.
Juventus FC
Following the big switch to TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Montero made over 30 appearances in his first season with Juventus in all competitions. It was here, even after an impressive first season, that he achieved great success, winning four scudetti with the club, along with other honours.; Montero was believed to have been the best friend of Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
during the pair's time together at Juventus, which ended when Zidane was sold to Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in 2001.
Juventus had what was considered as the best defense in the world at this time, and teams strongly regretted ever going down a goal to the club, as they knew how hard it would be to score one back for themselves. Montero played at both center back and left back during this period, forming impressive defensive partnerships with the likes of Ciro Ferrara
Ciro Ferrara
Ciro Ferrara is a former Italian footballer and current head coach of the Italy U-21 team. He spent his playing career as a defender initially at Napoli and later on at Juventus. He is also a former manager of Juventus.-Napoli:...
, Mark Iuliano
Mark Iuliano
Mark Iuliano is a former Italian football defender, who spent the bulk of his career with Italian powerhouse, Juventus FC, in the Italian Serie A.-Salernitana Calcio 1919:...
, Gianluca Pessotto
Gianluca Pessotto
Gianluca Pessotto is a former football player who spent the majority of his career with Juventus F.C., where he currently serves as team manager...
, Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both...
, Alessandro Birindelli
Alessandro Birindelli
Alessandro Birindelli is a retired Italian footballer. Equally at ease as right or left defender, he is best known for his 11-year spell with Juventus, winning several accolades and appearing in nearly 300 official games.-Early years:...
, Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor
Igor Tudor is a Croatian former football defender. He was considered one of Croatia's best defenders in the period between the late 1990s and mid-2000s....
, Gianluca Zambrotta
Gianluca Zambrotta
Gianluca Zambrotta is a world cup winning Italian footballer who currently plays as a full back for Serie A club Milan.Zambrotta was decorated as Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2000 and he was made an Officer of the same order in 2006.-Como:Zambrotta began his...
, Nicola Legrottaglie
Nicola Legrottaglie
Nicola Legrottaglie is an Italian footballer who plays for Calcio Catania in Serie A, as a central defender.-Early years:...
, and Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...
during his 10-year tenure with the club. After the 2004–2005 Serie A triumph, Montero and teammate Ferrara called it quits on their Juventus careers. The Uruguayan opted to return to South America, while Ferrara retired. Montero made over 200 appearances for i bianconeri, scoring one league goal. In the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final
2003 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2003 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on 28 May 2003 to decide the winner of the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. The match was contested by two Italian teams in the shape of Juventus and Milan. The match made history as the...
, Montero was one of the three Juventus players to have their penalty saved by AC Milan keeper Dida
Dida
Dida can refer to:*Edvaldo Alves de Santa Rosa, former Brazilian football player famous in the 1950s and 1960s*Andre Amade, Brazilian mixed martial artist*Dida , real name Nélson de Jesus Silva, Brazilian goalkeeper...
in the shootout, who appeared to come off his line on each occasion.
San Lorenzo
After his tenure at Juventus, Montero moved to Argentinian club San LorenzoClub Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine sports club based in Boedo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, mostly known because of its football team....
. His time at the club was short-lived however, as he constantly missed games due to injuries. He left the club after just 14 appearances and scored one goal against Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
. In 2006, offers came in from clubs such as Olympiakos and newly promoted Serie A club Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
; however, Montero chose to return to his childhood club where he began his career, C.A. Peñarol
C.A. Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol also known as Carboneros, Aurinegros and familiarly as Manya, is an Uruguayan sports club based in the Peñarol barrio, Montevideo, best known for its professional football team. The team plays their home matches in Estadio Centenario, the largest stadium in the country, but...
.
Return to Peñarol
For the 2006–2007 season, Montero re-joined former club Peñarol, for one last season prior to officially announcing his retirement. He scored one goal in 26 matches during his last season as a professional footballer.International career
Montero also captained his country in their bid to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in an intercontinental playoff against Australia, the country the Uruguayans defeated by a very convincing margin of 3–0 to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament four years before. Sadly for Montero, he limped off with a hamstring injury during the second game in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, and later Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
went on to narrowly snatch the win and the World cup qualification via penalties. After the defeat, Montero immediately announced his international retirement, saying "what happened today was such a pity as this group of players deserved to be at the World Cup finals." Montero made over 60 appearances for his country in between 1991 and 2006.
Retirement
Paolo Montero reportedly retired in late May 2007 after attending a team training session in order to say goodbye to his teammates. His current squad had tried to persuade him to come back to football, with teammate Ruben CapriaRubén Capria
Rubén Oscar Capria . is a former Argentine football midfielder who played professional football in Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile and Uruguay....
saying that "it's a tough blow to lose our captain".
He played his final match in which also was Marcelo Salas
Marcelo Salas
José Marcelo Salas Melinao , better known as El Matador, Shileno or simply Marcelo Salas, is a former football player from Chile. He, along with world cup veterans, 3 time Best Player of America Elías Figueroa and former Real Madrid and Inter Milan forward Iván Zamorano, has been one of Chile's...
' farewell match. Salas also was formerly of Juventus, however with a much less impact on the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club.
Honours
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
(4)- Winner: 1996–97, 1997–98Serie A 1997-98Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the...
, 2001–02Serie A 2001-02In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
, 2002–03Serie A 2002-03In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
, - Runner-up: 1999–00Serie A 1999-00Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
, 2000–01Serie A 2000-01In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
- Winner: 1996–97, 1997–98
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
- Runner-up: 2001–02Coppa Italia 2001-02-First Leg:---------Second Leg:--------Parma win Coppa Italia on away goals rule.-References:*...
; 2003–04Coppa Italia 2003-04-Second round:Pro Patria-Sampdoria 0-1 0-3Palermo-Brescia 1-1 3-2Empoli-Venezia 0-2 1-1Sambenedettese-Modena 2-1 0-2Salernitana-Reggina 0-2 0-3Brindisi-Bologna 3-2 0-3Cesena-Perugia 1-2 2-3...
- Runner-up: 2001–02
- Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
(3)- Winner: 19971997 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1997 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 1996-97 winner, and Vicenza, the Coppa Italia 1996-97 winner.It was the third appearance for Juventus, after the victory in 1995 and the defeat in 1990, whereas it was Vicenza's first appearance.-Match details:-References:...
, 20022002 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2002 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 2001-02 winner, and Parma, the Coppa Italia 2001-02 winner.It was the fifth appearance for Juventus and the fourth for Parma...
, 20032003 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2003 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 2002-03 winner, and Milan, the Coppa Italia 2002-03 winner.It was the sixth appearance for Juventus and the seventh for Milan .The match was played in New York, U.S.A..-Match details:-References:... - Runner-up: 1998
- Winner: 1997
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
- Runner-up: 1996–97UEFA Champions League 1996-97The 1996–97 UEFA Champions League was the 42nd edition of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the fifth since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League, and the last involving only clubs that were champions of their domestic leagues. The tournament was won by Borussia Dortmund in a...
, 1997–98UEFA Champions League 1997-98The 1997–98 UEFA Champions League was the 43rd edition of UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the sixth since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won 1–0 by Real Madrid, winning for the first time in 32 years, beating Juventus who were playing in a third...
, 2002–03UEFA Champions League 2002-03The 2002–03 UEFA Champions League was the 11th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding in 1992, and the 48th European Cup tournament overall. The competition was won by Milan, who beat Juventus on penalties in the European Cup's...
- Runner-up: 1996–97
- UEFA Super Cup (1)
- Winner: 19961996 UEFA Super CupThe 1996 UEFA Super Cup was played on 15 January 1997 and 5 February 1997 between Juventus of Italy, winner of 1995-96 UEFA Champions League and Paris Saint-Germain of France, winner of the 1995-96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup...
- Winner: 1996
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
(1)- Winner: 19961996 Intercontinental CupThe 1996 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on November 26, 1996 between Juventus, winners of the 1995-96 UEFA Champions League, and River Plate, winners of the 1996 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo...
- Winner: 1996
- UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
(1)- Winner: 1999
External links
- International statistics at rsssf
- Career statistics at National Football Teams Profile at TenfieldTenfieldTenfield is a broadcasting corporation which holds the commercial rights to broadcast the Uruguayan football and basketball. It also owns Spanish-language soccer network GOL TV, which it purchased on April 2007....
Profile at Futbol Factory (Archived)