Roberto Abbondanzieri
Roberto Abbondanzieri | |
|---|---|
| Born | Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri August 19, 1972 Bouquet, Santa Fe, Argentina |
| Occupation(s) | Football coach, former professional footballer |
| Years active | 1994–2010 (player), 2012–2021 (coach) |
| Known for | Goalkeeper for Boca Juniors, Getafe, Argentina national team |
Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri (also spelled Abbondancieri, born 19 August 1972), commonly known by the nickname El Pato (The Duck), is a retired Argentine professional football player who specialized as a goalkeeper.
The majority of his playing years were spent with Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Spain’s Getafe in the La Liga. Following his retirement from active play, he moved into a coaching role.
Between 2004 and 2008, Abbondanzieri was capped 49 times for the Argentina national football team, appearing in two editions of the Copa America as well as the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Early career
Hailing from Bouquet, in the Santa Fe region, Abbondanzieri made his professional debut on 6 December 1994 with Rosario Central, based in Santa Fe. During his tenure there, he won the 1995 CONMEBOL Cup. He stayed at Rosario Central until 1997 before moving to Boca Juniors as a backup goalkeeper.
Initially serving as understudy to Óscar Córdoba, Abbondanzieri stepped in following Córdoba’s injury during the 1999 Clausura tournament but soon suffered a shoulder injury himself. After recovering, he returned to his reserve position until February 2002 when Córdoba transferred to Italian side Perugia.
In July 2002, he officially amended the spelling of his surname from Abbondancieri—a previous error dating back to his grandfather’s immigration—to Abbondanzieri to comply with Italian citizenship documentation necessary for European transfers. He earned the accolade of South American Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003.
By September 2006, Abbondanzieri had secured 14 titles with Boca Juniors, including their third Recopa Sudamericana, holding the club record for most trophies at that time—a record later surpassed by Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
Getafe
In June 2006, Abbondanzieri inked a three-year deal with Spanish top-flight club Getafe CF, expressing that it was an ideal moment to embark on a European chapter. During his first season (2006–07), he was awarded the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for conceding only 30 goals across 37 league appearances.
On 10 April 2008, in a UEFA Cup quarterfinal clash against Bayern Munich, Abbondanzieri committed a crucial mistake during extra time by mishandling an easily catchable ball, which allowed Bayern striker Luca Toni to score. Although Bayern remained behind on aggregate at that point, they eventually equalized and progressed on away goals.
Return to South America
Abbondanzieri featured for Getafe during the first half of the 2008–09 campaign before returning to Boca Juniors for the Clausura tournament in 2009. He reclaimed his position as Boca’s starting goalkeeper, participating in both the domestic league and Copa Libertadores, where Boca was eliminated by Defensor Sporting.
On 16 February 2010, Brazilian club Internacional acquired Abbondanzieri from Boca Juniors. He concluded his playing career on 18 December after contributing to Internacional’s third-place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup following a 4–2 victory over Seongnam.
International career
Abbondanzieri took part in the 1989 FIFA U-17 World Championship representing Argentina and established himself as a key player at Boca Juniors before earning his first call-up to the Argentina senior national team in June 2004. He featured in the 2004 Copa América as well as the South American qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Selected by coach José Pekerman for Argentina's squad at the 2006 World Cup, Abbondanzieri suffered an injury during the quarter-final match against Germany following a clash with forward Miroslav Klose. He was substituted by Leo Franco, and Argentina was ultimately eliminated after losing in the penalty shootout.
His impressive display during the World Cup solidified his role as Argentina’s primary goalkeeper under Alfio Basile. Abbondanzieri participated in all six games of the 2007 Copa América, where Argentina finished second behind Brazil. He continued as first-choice goalkeeper into the initial stages of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers but was forced out due to injury during a draw against Paraguay. Upon recovery, incoming coach Diego Maradona left him out of subsequent selections, bringing his international tenure to a close with a total of 46 appearances.
Coaching career
In November 2012, Abbondanzieri accepted the position of assistant coach to former Boca Juniors teammate Martín Palermo at Godoy Cruz. By April 2014, he and Palermo, together with Rolando Schiavi, assumed comparable coaching roles at Arsenal de Sarandí. Their collaboration extended to Chile in May 2016 when they took charge of Unión Española.
On 28 November 2020, Abbondanzieri reunited with Palermo as assistant coach at Chilean club Curicó Unido. However, by May 2021, he decided to step away from professional football to dedicate more time to his family.
Personal life
Abbondanzieri shares his well-known nickname with another renowned Argentine goalkeeper, Ubaldo Fillol.
Club
International
Appearances and goals by national team and year
| Club | Season | League | State league | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||||
| Rosario Central | 1994–95 | Primera División | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1995–96 | Primera División | 25 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1996–97 | Primera División | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Total | 57 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 57 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Boca Juniors | 1996–97 | Primera División | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1997–98 | Primera División | 13 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1998–99 | Primera División | 8 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Primera División | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Primera División | 16 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | Primera División | 22 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2002–03 | Primera División | 33 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | — | 47 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2003–04 | Primera División | 32 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 0 | — | 54 | 0 | |||||||||
| Primera División | 31 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | — | 51 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Primera División | 33 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 204 | 0 | — | — | 71 | 0 | — | 275 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Getafe CF | 2006–07 La Liga | La Liga | 36 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2007–08 La Liga | La Liga | 34 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2008–09 La Liga | La Liga | 13 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Total | 83 | 0 | — | 83 | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| National team | Year | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2004 | 11 | 0 |
| 2005 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 0 | |
Honours
Rosario Central
- Copa CONMEBOL: 1995
Boca Juniors
- Primera División titles: 1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura, 2000 Apertura, 2003 Apertura, 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura
- Copa Libertadores victories: 2000, 2001, 2003; finalist: 2004
- Copa Sudamericana championships: 2004, 2005
- Recopa Sudamericana winner: 2005
- Intercontinental Cup triumphs: 2000, 2003
Internacional
- Copa Libertadores title: 2010
Individual Achievements
- South America's Best Goalkeeper: 2003
- Best Goalkeeper and Player of the Final in Copa Sudamericana: 2005
- Recipient of the Ricardo Zamora Trophy as La Liga's top goalkeeper: 2006–07
- Ranked among IFFHS Top 10 Goalkeepers of the 21st Century (2001–2011)
External links
- 1972 births
- Living people
- Argentina men's international footballers
- La Liga players
- Getafe CF footballers
- Rosario Central footballers
- Boca Juniors footballers
- Copa Sudamericana–winning players
- SC Internacional players
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- 2004 Copa América players
- 2006 FIFA World Cup players
- People from Belgrano Department, Santa Fe
- Argentine people of Italian descent
- Sportspeople of Italian descent
- Argentine expatriate men's footballers
- Argentine men's footballers
- Copa Libertadores–winning players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
- Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
- Expatriate football managers in Chile
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
- Argentine Primera División players
- Argentina men's youth international footballers
- Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Chile
- Argentine football managers
- Footballers from Santa Fe Province
- 21st-century Argentine sportsmen