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 lea ...

who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. He is currently in charge of the Under-17 team of

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

Club career

Early career

Bovo grew up playing in the

AS Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: Help:IPA/Italian, ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier ...

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

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

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

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

(swapped with Mauro Rizzo), where he remained for two years and made his debut in

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

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. Since 1 ...

, 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, 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 Juven ...

and Valerio Virga were also accused uneconomical, and were compensation to

Maurizio Zamparini Maurizio Zamparini (9 June 1941 – 1 February 2022) was an Italian businessman. He was the owner and director of football club Palermo between July 2002 – February 2017 and from July 2017 – December 2018. Biography Zamparini had business ...

for the acquirement of Palermo from Franco Sensi., 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 Brienza is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. History Brienza was founded around a castle in the 7th century AD, during the Lombard rule of the Duchy of Benevento. Between the late 19t ...

– 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 coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Inter Milan. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving ...

Philippe Mexès Philippe Mexès (born 30 March 1982) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. He represented AJ Auxerre, Auxerre, AS Roma, Roma and AC Milan at club level during a career that spanned between ...

and

Samuel Kuffour Samuel Osei 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 over a de ...

, such that the coach

Luciano Spalletti Luciano Spalletti (; born 7 March 1959) is an Italian Association football, football Association football manager, manager and former association footballer, player. He was most recently the manager of the Italy national football team, Italian n ...

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 ( , ; ; , then ) 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 city is main ...

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

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

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, 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 ; ) 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 during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

(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 former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Kjær was named 2007 Danish Football Player of the Year#Young Players of the Year, Danish under-19 talent o ...

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 Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back. He was selected to the Serie A Team of the Year four times. After p ...

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 Ita ...

and

Leandro Rinaudo Leandro Rinaudo (born 9 May 1983) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender, and a current sports director. Early years He comes from the Kalsa neighbourhood of Palermo. Club career Palermo A youth product of Palermo, Rinaudo w ...

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

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

along with Fabrizio Miccoli. 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 (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...

, 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. Me ...

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

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

. 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 (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...

(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 ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

, 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 five goals between the league,

and

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. 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 association football, football team from the Bernese Oberland town of Thun. The club plays in the Swiss Super League from 2025–26, the top tier of the Swiss football league system, following promotion from 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 (; ) 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), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

(2–2) on the second day of the championship, held on 11 September 2011. He was injured early in the season and missed 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 Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

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

Derby della Lanterna The , Italian for the "Derby of the Lighthouse", is Genoa's local derby, played by Genoa and Sampdoria. It takes place at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, which both clubs share. Background The derby's name is derived from the Torre della Lanterna, ...

against

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

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 ( , ; ; , then ) 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 city is main ...

. 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 status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, scoring the momentary equaliser for Torino in a 2–1 loss to

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

. On 22 November, he scored the winning goal against

, 1–0, in

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

. Three days later, he renewed his contract with the club until 2017.

Pescara

On 4 January 2017 he was sold to

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

. He spent two seasons in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

Return to Lecce

On 12 September 2018, he made his return to

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 won the competition for the fifth time. Italy's Alberto G ...

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

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. The match ended 3–0 for the ''Azzurri''. He also represented Italy at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

football tournament. During the quarterfinals, he scored the winning goal during extra time against

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. 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 Claudio Cesare Prandelli (; born 19 August 1957) is an Italian former football coach and former player. Playing career Prandelli was a midfielder who moved from Atalanta to Juventus in 1979. His first game for Juventus was in the 1979–80 Eur ...

, for matches against

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

and

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

, 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 player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, Bovo was originally a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

, 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 Fabio Liverani (; born 29 April 1976) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder. He is the head coach of club Ternana. He made 288 Serie A appearances across 12 seasons, representing Perugia, Lazio, Fiorentina and Palermo. He was the ...

's coaching staff at

as a technical collaborator for the

2019–20 Serie A The 2019–20 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 118th season of top-tier Italian football, the 88th in a round-robin tournament, and the 10th since its organization under an own league committee, the Lega Serie ...

season. He successively followed Liverani at

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

for the

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

season. On 8 June 2022, he signed for

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

as part of Fabio Liverani's staff, a position he left in December of the same year following Liverani's sacking. In the summer of 2023, he returned to Palermo, joining

Eugenio Corini Eugenio Corini (born 30 July 1970) is an Italian professional football coach and former player. A talented, dynamic, and hard-working playmaker, known for his precise long passing, flair and his ability to orchestrate his team's attacking moves ...

's first-team coaching staff. He then stayed on under new manager Michele Mignani and eventually left by the end of the 2023–24 season. On 1 April 2025, Bovo returned to work for Palermo, this time being appointed in charge of the Under-17 team.

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 The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republic, it is awarded for ...

'': 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 21st-century Italian sportsmen