Cesare Bovo (born 14 January 1983) is an Italian retired professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

Club career

Early career

Bovo grew up playing in the

A.S. Roma ' (''Rome Sport Association''), commonly referred to as Roma (), is a professional football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its existence, except for ...

youth system, while in the 2001–02 season he only played a game in the

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...

–Roma (3–0) on 8 January 2002. In 2002, he was sold in co-ownership to Lecce (swapped with

Mauro Rizzo Mauro Rizzo (born 15 June 1984) is a footballer from Italy. He has played as a defender for the U.S. Lecce, Roma, Bellaria, Andria, and Melfi football club. Career Born in Galatina, the Province of Lecce, Rizzo started his career at U.S. ...

), where he remained for two years and made his debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

on 5 October 2003 in Lecce–Brescia (1–4). On 2 May 2, 2004 he scored in a 2–1 home win against

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is t ...

, contributing to saving Lecce from relegation. With 2 goals in the league, he achieved his personal record of goals in a season.
In June 2004, he was redeemed by Roma for €10,000, while Rizzo returned to Lecce for €40,000. On 31 July 2004 he moved to Parma in temporary deal for €100,000, as part of the signing of defender

Matteo Ferrari Matteo Ferrari (; born 5 December 1979) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender He played top-flight football for several Italian clubs in Serie A, Everton of the Premier League, and for the Montreal Impact in Major Leagu ...

, Palermo bought half of his contract on 31 August 2004 for €1.5 million (in pure player exchange: Francesco Milano and Paolo Comi) Even this season he scored 2 goals in the league, equaling his record. The transfer of Bovo, Gianluca Curci,

Simone Pepe Simone Pepe (; born 30 August 1983) is an Italian former footballer who played as a winger, on either side of the pitch. After starting out at Roma, he went on to compete in Serie A for 12 seasons, spending most of his time at Udinese and Juve ...

and

Valerio Virga Valerio Virga (born 6 June 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Promozione club Omegna. He played in Serie A for Roma. Club career A product of the A.S. Roma youth academy and one of the bright prospects of the ''Giallor ...

were also accused uneconomical, and were compensation to Maurizio Zamparini for the acquirement of Palermo from

Franco Sensi Francesco Sensi, Cavaliere del lavoro (29 July 1926 – 17 August 2008) was an Italian oil tycoon. He was born in Rome, where he lived throughout his entire life, though he also served time as mayor of Visso, the city where his family came from ...

., which Roma denied, despite the sales of 4 players only received one thousand and five hundred euro cash plus half of the registration rights of two reserve players Comi and Milano. Roma did have a net short term debt to Palermo of €1.75 million on 30 June 2004 due to the transfer of Brienza– Bombardini, which paid by Roma in cash but counter-weighted on 30 June 2006 due to the full purchase of Bovo by Palermo . On 1 July 2005 Bovo returned his hometown club, Roma in temporary deal for €750,000 (via the transfer of Massimo Bonanni to Palermo). His presence on the field was often limited by competition from

Cristian Chivu Cristian Eugen Chivu (; born 26 October 1980) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Inter Milan's under-19 side. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving to ...

Philippe Mexès Philippe Mexès (; born 30 March 1982) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He represented Auxerre, Roma and AC Milan at club level during a career that spanned between 1999 and 2016. A full international bet ...

and

Samuel Kuffour Samuel Osei "Sammy" Kuffour (born 3 September 1976) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Known for his physical power, Kuffour is best remembered for his time with Bayern Munich, whom he represented for ...

, such that the coach Luciano Spalletti often deployed him as a full-back. the transfer of the defender in ''rosanero'' materialised in June 2006 for €2.05 million; while Virga returned to Roma for €50,000. Roma made around €200,000 less to the bid of Palermo. In the final day of the transfer market of January 2007, he moved to

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

on a temporary basis. He played his first match for Torino on 24 February 2007 in

against

Chievo Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige. It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona, which competes in the second ...

. After the end of the loan he returned to Palermo, however, shortly after he was bought by

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, led by Gian Piero Gasperini, on 10 July 2007 in co-ownership bid for €2.85 million.

Return to Palermo

On 19 June 2008 he was redeemed from Palermo for €4.5 million cash plus the transfer of Giuseppe Biava. He made his debut with Palermo in the second game of the third round of

against

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

(1–2), while his first goal for Palermo came in the third day of the championship against Genoa, with a great shot from outside the box. Along with

Simon Kjær Simon Thorup Kjær (born 26 March 1989) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club AC Milan and captains the Denmark national team. He was named 2007 Danish under-19 talent of the year and 2009 Danish Talent of t ...

and Andrea Raggi, his task was to replace the vacancies left by departures of

Andrea Barzagli Andrea Barzagli (; born 8 May 1981) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A four-time member of the Serie A Team of the Year, Barzagli is regarded as one of the best and most consistent defenders in Italian fo ...

Cristian Zaccardo Cristian Zaccardo (; born 21 December 1981) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender. He mainly played as a centre back, although he was also capable of playing as a full-back or in midfield. He began his club career with Ital ...

and Leandro Rinaudo. He finished the season with only 28 appearances due to the number of cards received. He was Palermo's vice- captain along with

Fabrizio Miccoli Fabrizio Miccoli (; born on 27 June 1979) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored 103 goals in 259 matches in Serie A across nine seasons, representing Perugia, Juventus, Fiorentina and Palermo, also spen ...

. In the 2009–10 season, one of the best in his career, he marked his first goal 25 October 2009 in a home victory against the

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a ...

, on the ninth day of the season, with a deflected volley from the edge of the area. At the end of the season he suffered from

metatarsalgia Metatarsalgia, literally metatarsal pain and colloquially known as a stone bruise, is any painful foot condition affecting the metatarsal region of the foot. This is a common problem that can affect the joints and bones of the metatarsals. Meta ...

which required operation on 12 April 2010. Back on 24 April, he scored the first goal in a 3–1 win against

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

. He closed the season with a total of 29 appearances in the league (and 2 goals, a record equaled again) plus 3 appearances in

. In the 2010–11 season, on 11 December 2010, he wore the captain's armband for the first time at home against Parma. On 22 January 2011, in Palermo–Brescia (1–0) of the 21st round, he scored the winning goal from a free kick in the 86th minute, equaling once again the personal record of goals scored in a season. On 10 April 2011, in Palermo–

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...

(2–2), he made his 100th appearance with the shirt of Palermo; 86 in the league, 7 in

and 7 in European competition. On 23 April, in a home game against

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, played on the 34th day, and won 2–1, he scored his third league goal with a penalty kick, thus overcoming his personal scoring record. On 10 May, in the second leg of the

against Milan, he scored the 2–0 on a penalty kick, that ended 2–1. In the final, lost 3–1 to Inter, Bovo was disqualified due to his expulsion after the prior goal. He closed the season with 43 appearances and 5 goals between the league,

and

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

. In the 2011–12 season, after playing the two matches of the third qualifying round of the

against the Swiss

FC Thun Fussballclub Thun 1898 is a Swiss football team from the Bernese Oberland town of Thun. The club plays in the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of the Swiss football league system, following relegation from the Swiss Super League in the ...

, he left the ''rosaneri'' after a total of 108 appearances and 8 goals.

Return to Genoa

On 23 August 2011 he returned to

in a loan move for €200,000 with an option to make the move permanent for €1.3 million. He made his debut in Genoa–

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...

(2–2) on the second day of the championship held on 11 September 2011. He was injured early in the season, missing much of it. On 13 January 2012 Genoa acquired full ownership of the player for pre-agreed €1.3M and sold half of the registration rights of goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano to Palermo for €5M.US Città di Palermo SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2012 He returned to the field 7 April 2012, the 31st round, replacing Emiliano Moretti in

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It i ...

–Genoa (1–1). In a match against Siena he sprained his right knee, tearing his outer meniscus, which prematurely closed his season with 8 appearances. On 18 November 2012, he scored an own goal during the Derby della Lanterna against

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

ending 3–1 in favor of Sampdoria.

Return to Torino

On 9 July 2013 he moved back to

on a free transfer,Genoa CFC SpA ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2013 six years after his previous experience in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

. During the 2013–14 season, he played in 20 league games for Torino. On 2 June 2014 he renewed his contract until 2016. He scored his first goal of the 2015–16 season on 31 October 2015, during the

derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

, scoring the momentary equaliser for Torino in a 2–1 loss to Juventus. On 22 November he scored the winning goal against

, 1–0, in Bergamo. Three days later he renewed his contract with the club until 2017.

Pescara

On 4 January 2017 he was sold to

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

. He spent two seasons in Abruzzo.

Return to Lecce

On 12 September 2018 he made his return to Lecce.

International career

Bovo was part of the Italy under-21 team, of which he was captain, that won the

2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 14th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Germany between 27 May and 8 June 2004. Italy U-21s won the competition for the fifth time. Italy's A ...

. He scored the momentary 2–0 in the 81st minute during the final against

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

. The match ended 3–0 for the ''Azzurri''. He also represented Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics football tournament. During the quarterfinals, he scored the winning goal during extra time against

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

. He won a bronze medal. In 2006, he disputed his second European Under-21 tournament, eliminated during the first round. On 28 August 2010 he was called up to the senior

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

by the new coach Cesare Prandelli, for matches against

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

and

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

, during the qualifications for the

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...

without ever taking to the field.

Style of play

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, Bovo was originally a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

, but equally capable of playing in a back-line of 3 or 4 defenders. Bovo is noted for his ball controlPaolo Vannini, Corriere dello Sport, 22 gennaio 2011. and is a free-kick specialist, possessing a strong shot from range.

Coaching career

After retirement, Bovo joined Fabio Liverani's coaching staff at Lecce as a technical collaborator for the 2019–20 Serie A season. He successively followed Liverani at

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

for the

2020–21 Serie A The 2020–21 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 119th season of top-tier Italian football, the 89th in a round-robin tournament, and the 11th since its organization under an own league committee, the Lega Seri ...

season. On 8 June 2022, he signed for Cagliari as part of Fabio Liverani's staff.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Club

Roma *

: 2000–01

International

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

: Germany 2004 * Olympic bronze: Athens 2004

Orders

5th Class / Knight: '' Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana'': 2004

References

External links

Profile
at Torino's official club website
International Caps
at FIGC.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bovo, Cesare 1983 births Footballers from Rome Living people Italian men's footballers AS Roma players Parma Calcio 1913 players Torino FC players Genoa CFC players Palermo FC players US Lecce players Delfino Pescara 1936 players Olympic footballers for Italy Olympic bronze medalists for Italy Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Men's association football defenders Serie A players Serie B players Italy men's under-21 international footballers Italy men's youth international footballers Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic