René Pontoni
René Alejandro Pontoni (born May 18, 1920 in Santa Fe, Argentina, died May 14, 1983) was a footballer. He played club football in Argentina, Colombia and Brazil as well as representing the Argentina national football team on 19 occasions.
 Pontoni as player of Newell's Old Boys | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | René Alejandro Pontoni | ||
| Date of birth | 18 May 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Fe, Argentina | ||
| Date of death | 14 April 1983 (aged 62) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gimnasia y Esgrima de Santa Fe | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1940–1944 | Newell's Old Boys | 110 | (67) |
| 1945–1948 | San Lorenzo | 102 | (66) |
| 1949–1952 | Independiente Santa Fe | 44 | (27) |
| 1953 | Portuguesa | ? | (?) |
| 1954 | San Lorenzo | (see above) | |
| National team | |||
| 1942–1947 | Argentina | 19 | (19) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1956 – 1957 | Newell's Old Boys | ||
| 1962 | San Lorenzo | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 November 2007 | |||
Biography
Pontoni started his career with Gimnasia y Esgrima de Santa Fe before joining Newell's Old Boys in 1940. Pontoni made his debut for the Argentina national team in 1942. He went on to score 19 goals in 19 games for his country, helping them to become South American champions in 1945,[1] 1946[2] and 1947.[3]
In 1944 Pontoni joined San Lorenzo where he helped the team to win the Primera División in 1946. In 1948 he suffered a career threatening injury but he recovered, moving to Colombia in 1949 to play for Independiente Santa Fe where he remained until 1952.
In 1953 Pontoni moved to Brazil, where he spent one season with Portuguesa in São Paulo before returning to Argentina for one last season with San Lorenzo in 1954.
Titles
| Season | Team | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Argentina | Copa América |
| 1946 | San Lorenzo | Primera División Argentina |
| 1946 | Argentina | Copa América |
| 1947 | Argentina | Copa América |
Later years
In 1963 former Boca Juniors player Mario Boyé and former San Lorenzo de Almagro player René Pontoni, brothers-in-law who had both been members of Argentine national teams, set up a pizzería in Belgrano, Buenos Aires, La Guitarrita, still run by Pontoni's grandson as of 2014.[4] Pontoni also had several spells as a football manager in the lower leagues of Argentine football.
