Ceni (fourth from left) with theSão Paulo squad in 2005
Ceni made his senior debut withSinop.[12] In 1990, Ceni joinedSão Paulo, spending his first six seasons inBrazilian Série A as a backup or third-choice.
On 25 June 1993, Ceni made his first team debut, starting in a 4–1 win againstTenerife for the Trofeo Ciudad de Santiago de Compostelafriendly championship. In the following year, he was utilized as a starter in the1994 Copa CONMEBOL, appearing in all matches as his side was crowned champions.
In the1997 season, afterZetti moved toSantos, Ceni was chosen as his replacement. On 14 July 2005, Ceni was São Paulo'scaptain as the teamwon the 2005 Copa Libertadores, a third for the club. Two weeks later, in a match againstAtlético Mineiro, he broke the record for most appearances for the team, with 618 matches – he wore a special commemorative jersey that had the number "618" printed on the back; on 25 July of the following year, he scored a penalty against Mexican sideGuadalajara (also a match-winner), becoming theTricolor's all-time leading scorer in the Libertadores.[13]
From 2005 to 2007, he scored an astonishing 47 goals in all competitions combined, as the club won two national championships and the2005 FIFA Club World Cup; in the latter competition, he netted in the semifinals againstIttihad (3–2, through apenalty kick), and was votedMan of the match inthe final againstLiverpool, as well as the tournament'sMVP.[14]
On 20 August 2006, Ceni scored his 63rd and record-breaking goal by netting afree kick againstCruzeiro in the domestic league, a few minutes after denying a penalty to the opposition. Later in the same match, he scored a goal from the spot and took his total to 64, also tying the match 2–2; this put him two goals ahead of the previous holder,ParaguayanJosé Luis Chilavert.[15]
On 29 October 2006, Ceni made his 700th official appearance for São Paulo, againstFigueirense in a 2–0 victory. Some of the gloss was taken off the occasion when the player was ordered to change his bright yellow jersey because it matched with thereferee's; at the end of the2007 season, which ended in league conquest, he was voted by theBrazilian Football Confederation as the Best Player.
In April 2009, Ceni fractured his ankle in training, being initially sidelined for six months,[16] but recovering sooner than expected. On 28 October 2010, againstAtlético Paranaense, he played his 700th game as club captain.[17] The following year, on 27 March, he scored from a free kick to win the match against arch rivalsCorinthians, shooting from 18 metres for his 100th goal.[18]
On 7 September 2011, Ceni made his 1,000th appearance for São Paulo.[19] In late January of the following year, the 39-year-old underwent an operation on his shoulder, losing six months of competition.[20]
On 1 June 2012, Ceni returned to the field, scoring from a direct free kick in a 2–0Copa Sudamericana away win againstBahia;[21] his side went on to winthat year's tournament. He subsequently scored three goals in the league, ending the campaign as a starter.
Despite already being aged 40, Ceni stated that his spirit for competition was the same as an eighteen-year-old's, but still stating that his recovery is harder than years ago.[22] On 14 July 2013, Ceni scored his 111th goal from a free kick in a 2–3 loss atVitória.
On 7 December 2013, after lengthy negotiations, Ceni renewed his contract withTricolor for a further season.[23] On 20 April 2014, in a 3–0 home win againstBotafogo, he had three records recognized byGuinness World Records: most goals scored by a goalkeeper, number of games played for the same club and number of times as captain.[24]
On 27 October 2014, Ceni brokeRyan Giggs' record for most wins at a single club after playing in São Paulo's 3–0 win overGoiás.[25][26] He finishedthe campaign with eight league goals (his best goal scoring record within seven years), being an undisputed starter.[citation needed]
On 28 November 2014, Ceni signed a new deal with São Paulo, until August 2015,[27] despite previously stating that he would retire at the end of the season.[28] On 29 March 2015, after scoring in a 3–0 home win againstLinense, he surpassedMarcelinho Carioca in the number of goals scored by direct free kicks for only one club, with Ceni having 60 and Marcelinho, 59.[29]
In June 2015, Ceni scored his 128th goal, entering in the club's top 10 goalscorers list.[30] Ceni announced his retirement from professional football on 6 December 2015.[31][32]
Ceni signed withFortaleza to coach the team in 2018.[41] On 3 November of that year, Fortaleza clinched promotion to theSérie A,[42] and seven days later, the club clinched theSérie B title for the first time in its history.[43] In 2019, Fortaleza also won theCampeonato Cearense and theCopa do Nordeste.
On 11 August 2019, Ceni was namedCruzeiro head coach,[44] but was dismissed on 26 September, after having altercations with the club's main players, specificallyThiago Neves andDedé.[45]
Three days after his dismissal from Cruzeiro, Ceni was announced at his former side Fortaleza, replacing firedZé Ricardo.[46] On 22 October 2020, he again won the Ceará state title, his fourth title with Fortaleza.[47]
On 10 November 2020, Ceni agreed to a contract withFlamengo until December 2021, replacing the sackedDomènec Torrent.[48] He won the2020 Série A with the club, but was sacked on 10 July 2021.[49]
A dead-ball specialist,[53] Ceni was the official taker of free kicks and penalties for São Paulo from 1997 until his retirement, amassing 131 goals over the course of his career.[8][54] In addition to his accurate set-pieces, prolific goalscoring, distribution, and ability with the ball at his feet,[55][56] he was also known as an excellent goalkeeper and shot-stopper,[57] and stood out for his determination and longevity throughout his career, as he retired at over 40 years of age.[58] Ceni was known for being capable of producing brilliant saves, such as those in the final of the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup, which saw São Paulo defeat Liverpool 1–0; for his performances, Ceni later won theGolden Ball, which is awarded to the competition's best player.[59] He is considered to be one of Brazil's greatest goalkeepers ever.[3]
^"Rogério: "Consequência do trabalho"" [Rogério: "Consequence of work"] (in Portuguese). São Paulo's official website. 20 April 2014. Retrieved28 April 2015.
^"Fortaleza anuncia retorno de Rogério Ceni" [Fortaleza announce the return of Rogério Ceni] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 29 September 2019. Retrieved24 October 2019.
1 AsHors concours 2Placar started to give this prize to the best grade holder atBola de Prata since 1973. In its 2013 ceremonies, a Bola de Ouro was given to Dirceu Lopes, holder of the best 1971 grade.Francisco Reyes andElías Figueroa, holders of 1970 and 1972 ones respectively, have not been announced as these years' winners yet.
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