Leonardo Ponzio

Leonardo Daniel Ponzio (born 29 January 1982) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played mainly as a defensive midfielder. He is the current interim manager of River Plate from the Argentine Primera División.

After starting out at Newell's Old Boys in 2000, he went on to spend his 21-year career with Zaragoza and River Plate, appearing in 246 competitive matches with the former club and winning the 2004 Copa del Rey, adding several more accolades during his two spells with the latter and going on to be one of the most decorated players in their history.

Ponzio won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina. He played games with the full team later that decade.

Club career Newell's and Zaragoza Born in Las Rosas, Santa Fe, Ponzio started his career in the youth system of Newell's Old Boys in neighbouring Rosario. At only 21, he was signed by Real Zaragoza ahead of the 2003–04 season, for €3 million. After making his La Liga debut on 31 August 2003 in a 0–1 home loss against Deportivo de La Coruña, he went on to become an essential midfield player for the Spanish club, only missing 11 matches in three years.

Ponzio featured 69 minutes of the final of the Copa del Rey on 17 March 2004, helping to defeat Real Madrid 3–2 after extra time.

River Plate However, when Zaragoza finished sixth in the 2006–07 campaign and qualified for the UEFA Cup, Ponzio had already left, moving in January 2007 to Club Atlético River Plate. He scored his first goal for his new team in the 2007 edition of the Copa Libertadores, against Chile's Colo-Colo.

Zaragoza return In January 2009, Ponzio returned to Zaragoza signing a four-and-a-half-year contract, with the side now in the Segunda División. He contributed regularly as they returned to the top flight immediately.

Ponzio was ever-present in 2009–10, inclusively featuring at right and left-back, while collecting 15 yellow cards. He scored his only goal of the season on 3 April 2010, striking from long range in a 2–0 home win over Málaga CF.

Return to River On 4 January 2012, aged 30, Ponzio, whose link in Aragon ran until June, left struggling – in sporting and financial terms – Zaragoza. He then returned to River Plate for personal reasons, agreeing to a three-and-a-half-year deal.

On 18 December 2021, Ponzio became River's player with the most titles in history at 17, surpassing Ángel Labruna. A longtime captain, he was nicknamed Capitán Eterno (Eternal Captain) after his retirement.

International career Ponzio represented Argentina at under-17 and under-20 levels, and earned his first full cap in a friendly against Honduras on 31 January 2003. In 2001, he played all seven matches (five complete) as the national team won the FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil.

Career statistics

Copa Argentina: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2015

Argentina U20 FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2001