Renato Cesarini

The man behind 'zona Cesarini' and a key figure in River Plate's La Máquina.

Renato Cesarini (11 April 1906 – 24 March 1969) was an Italian Argentine football player and coach who most notably played for Juventus in Italy as a midfielder or forward. He was a dual international footballer and played for both the Argentina and Italy national teams.

Quick Facts

Born: 11 April 1906
Birthplace: Senigallia, Italy
Died: 24 March 1969
Place of death: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Position: Midfielder

Lore & Background

Cesarini was born in Senigallia, near Ancona, in the Italian region of Marche, but when he was only a few months old he and his family emigrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In his early career, he played for several clubs around the Buenos Aires area, during the amateur era in Argentine football, most notably Chacarita Juniors. Cesarini was signed by Italian giants Juventus in 1929, he made his debut against Napoli on 23 March 1930: the game ended in a 2–2 draw.

He went on to win five league championships in a row with the club. In 1936, he returned to the professionalised Argentine league where he won two championships with River Plate. This excellent River Plate team included Adolfo Pedernera and José Manuel Moreno. The team was coached by the Hungarian Emerico Hirschel, who had a big influence on Cesarini and his teammate Carlos Peucelle, which would be put to use in the 1940s as they took charge at the club.

Reader's Guide

After retiring as a player, Cesarini went on to become a football manager. He coached a number of clubs in Argentina including both Boca Juniors and River Plate. With River, he coached one of the greatest teams of all time. From 1941 to 1947, that River Plate team achieved legendary status: Cesarini was coach from 1941 to 1944 when the level of football was such that they became known as La Máquina (The Machine); the forward line of Moreno, Pedernera, Munoz, Labruna and Loustau is considered to this day to be the greatest seen in South America.

River won Argentine league titles in 1941, and 1942 under La Biblia del fútbol as Cesarini became known for his authority on all matters pertaining to the sport. He returned to Italy to coach Juventus where he led a team including Sivori, Charles and Boniperti to Serie A success. In the mid sixties, he started the underage club of Pumas today one of the top clubs in Mexico. Between 1967 and 1968, he coached the Argentina national team.

Did You Know?

The Italian expression 'zona Cesarini' originated from Renato Cesarini, who often scored decisive goals during the last minutes of matches, such as the Italy 3–2 Hungary match of 13 December 1931.
Cesarini has a football club (Club Renato Cesarini) and training academy in Argentina named in his honour, founded in 1975 by former members of the Argentina national team.