Roberto Sensini

Roberto Sensini

Personal information
Full name	Roberto Néstor Sensini
Date of birth	(1966-10-12) 12 October 1966
Place of birth	Arroyo Seco, Argentina
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1986–1989	Newell's Old Boys	74	(2)
1989–1993	Udinese	149	(9)
1993–1999	Parma	156	(11)
1999–2000	Lazio	24	(1)
2000–2002	Parma	35	(0)
2002–2006	Udinese	91	(7)
Total		529	(30)
International career
1987–2000	Argentina	60	(0)
Managerial career
2006	Udinese
2007–2008	Estudiantes de La Plata
2009–2011	Newell's Old Boys
2012–2013	Colón
2014–2015	Atlético de Rafaela
Medal record Representing Argentina Men's Football 1996 Atlanta Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Roberto Néstor Sensini (born 12 October 1966) is an Argentine football manager and former defender. As a player with the Argentina national team, he won both the 1991 and 1993 Copa America, also finishing in third place in the 1989 edition of the tournament. He also represented his nation in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals, finishing in second place at the 1990 World Cup. Furthermore, he won an Olympic silver medal with Argentina at the 1996 Olympics.

Career

His professional playing career started in 1986 for Newell's Old Boys; where he won his first title before relocating to Italy in 1989, joining Udinese alongside compatriot Abel Balbo. Sensini played four seasons for the bianconeri, before moving to Parma in 1993, where he remained for a further six seasons. During this period Sensini sometimes played in midfield and won two UEFA Cups, two Italian Cups, and the UEFA Super Cup with the gialloblu, also reaching the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. He would then have a brief stint with S.S. Lazio starting from the 1999-2000 season, winning the scudetto, the Italian Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Supercoppa Italiana in his first season. After two years with the club, he moved back to Parma for a further year, winning another Coppa Italia in 2002, before returning to his first Italian club, Udinese, in 2002.

In 2005, he was one of the most consistent performers in Udinese's surprise qualification for the UEFA Champions League. Sensini was one of the oldest players of the 2005–06 Serie A, holding even the record as the oldest foreign player to score a goal in first division, at the age of 39 years, two months and 26 days. With over 380 matches at the top level, he was considered as one of the most experienced defenders of the Italian league, and often nicknamed nonno (grandfather) by Italian sports journalists. He retired at the end of the season.

International career

"Boquita" Sensini debuted for his national team in 1987, and played his last match in 2000. He played in the World Cup 1990, 1994 and 1998. In the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final Sensini conceded the disputed penalty kick from which West Germany scored their winning goal. He helped his country to a third place finish at the 1989 Copa América, and he was also part of the championship teams in the 1991 Copa America and 1993 Copa America tournaments, as well as the silver medal-winning team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, as one of the three over-23 players allowed per squad.

Style of play

Sensini was a consistent, decisive, and intelligent player. He was also extremely tactically versatile, and was capable of playing in any defensive or midfield position. Throughout his career, he was deployed as a full-back, an attacking wing-back, a centre-back, or even as a central or defensive midfielder. Although he primarily excelled defensively as a ball winner, due to his tackling ability, he was also a player with good technique, who was capable of making attacking runs and contributing offensively for his team with occasional goals.

Management

On 10 February 2006, after the dismissal of Serse Cosmi, Sensini ended his playing career and was appointed Udinese's new manager. He was supported in his new position by Loris Dominissini, who was named co-coach. The following month when Dominissini was sacked, Sensini resigned and left the club. Results had not improved with the team in danger of relegation, while they were defeated in the UEFA Cup by Bulgarian team Levski Sofia.

For the Argentine Torneo Clausura 2008, Sensini coached Estudiantes de La Plata, having replaced Diego Simeone. Sensini then went to manage Newell's Old Boys for the Clausura 2009 tournament. In April 2011, he resigned after 2 years as head coach of Newell's Old Boys after Lepra's sixth loss in nine games, leaving them 19th in the Clausura table.

On 21 February 2012, Sensini was appointed as the new head coach of Argentine first division club Colón. He resigned on 16 March 2013 after a 1-0 loss against rivals San Lorenzo, following a row of eight matches without winning.

Personal life

In 1996 Sensini took Italian citizenship. He is an Italian Argentine, whose grandfather Pacifico Sensini emigrated from Macerata to Rosario, Santa Fe in 1911.

Honors and awards

Season	Club	Tournament
1987-88	Newell's Old Boys	Primera División Argentina
1993	Parma	UEFA Super Cup
1994-95	Parma	UEFA Cup
1998-99	Parma	Coppa Italia
1998-99	Parma	UEFA Cup
1999	Lazio	UEFA Super Cup
1999-2000	Lazio	Serie A
1999-2000	Lazio	Coppa Italia
2000	Lazio	Supercoppa Italiana
2001-02	Parma	Coppa Italia

External links

• Serie A Profile (Italian)
• Statistics at zanaiball.it
• Roberto Sensini at National-Football-Teams.com
• (Spanish) Managerial statistics in the Argentine Primera
• (Spanish) It is finally official