Roberto Sosa (Argentine footballer)

Roberto Carlos Sosa (born 24 January 1975) is an Argentine former professional football striker turned coach.

Roberto Sosa
Personal information
Full name Roberto Carlos Sosa
Date of birth (1975-01-24) 24 January 1975
Place of birth Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Gimnasia de La Plata
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1998 Gimnasia de La Plata 83 (38)
1998–2002 Udinese 103 (31)
2002 Boca Juniors 7 (0)
2002–2003 Gimnasia de La Plata 15 (2)
2003–2004 Ascoli 18 (4)
2004 → Messina (loan) 21 (5)
2004–2008 Napoli 116 (28)
2008–2010 Gimnasia de La Plata 32 (2)
2010–2011 Sanremese 8 (2)
2011–2012 FC Rapperswil-Jona 24 (3)
Total 427 (115)
Managerial career
2014–2015 Sorrento
2015–2016 Savoia
2016–2017 Vultur Rionero
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Sosa was born in Santa Rosa, La Pampa. He started playing for Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata in 1995. His best season with Gimnasia was in 1997–98 when he scored 28 goals in 38 matches. He was the top scorer in the 1998 Argentine Torneo Clausura, with 17 goals. After this excellent season, Sosa was transferred to Italy, to play with Serie A team Udinese.

He spent almost 10 years playing in Europe, playing with Serie A and Serie B teams Ascoli and Messina. He also spent four years with S.S.C. Napoli between 2004 and 2008, helping Napoli to return to the Italian Serie A. Then, he returned to Argentina to play for his first club Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, which was struggling to keep its Primera A standing. Even though Sosa had a mediocre 2008/09 season, scoring only 2 goals in 24 games, he helped Gimnasia to avoid relegation.[1][2]

Perhaps, his most memorable moment during his last return to Gimnasia happened on 5 April 2009. Sosa was unable to deliver on his promise to score twice against derby rivals Estudiantes,[3] and became upset with those who criticized him for running his mouth, citing his ten-year playing spell in Europe.[4]

In June 2010, Sosa signed in for Sanremese. In December 2010, he received death threats to leave the club by the 'Ndrangheta.[5] He was out of the team by February. He finished the season playing for FC Rapperswil-Jona in Switzerland Third Division. At the end of the season, he retired.

Roberto Sosa was not a technical player, but he was an effective scorer. Overall, he scored 112 goals in 385 games.

Post-playing and coaching career

After his retirement, Sosa has been working as a color commentator for Sky Italia and took his coaching badges. On 1 August 2014, he was appointed head coach of recently relegated Serie D club Sorrento.[6] He left Sorrento by mutual consent on 5 January 2015.[7]

He then served as head coach of Eccellenza Campania club Savoia throughout the 2015–16 season, ended in third place.

In September 2016, Sosa accepted an offer from newly promoted Serie D club Vultur Rionero.

Personal life

Sosa's son Tomás, born 2001 in Udine, followed on his father's footsteps and he plays for Serie C club Pontedera as of February 2023.[8][9]

Honours

Udinese

Napoli

References
  1. CalcioNapoliNews.it Archived 6 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
  2. goal.com
  3. "En el clásico voy a meter dos goles", adelantó Sosa at Cielo Sports (in Spanish)
  4. "No quiero que me contesten más los cuatro de copas" Archived 10 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine at TyC (in Spanish)
  5. "A Ponente 'ndrangheta crescente"(in Italian)
  6. "Sorrento, el Pampa Sosa è il nuovo allenatore, con Reja come modello" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  7. "UFFICIALE: Sorrento, risoluzione consensuale con Roberto Sosa" (in Italian). Tuttomercatoweb. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  8. "Sosa, il figlio del Pampa è bomber: Tomas studia da attaccante" (in Italian). Il Mattino. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  9. "Vis Pesaro e Pontedera, doppia operazione con Parodi e il figlio del Pampa Sosa" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  10. "Udinese 4 - 2 Sigma (Aggregate: 6 - 4)". UEFA. 22 August 2000. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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