squad in 2005 Ceni made his senior debut with
Sinop. In 1990, Ceni joined
São Paulo, spending his first six seasons in
Brazilian Série A as a backup or third-choice. On 25 June 1993, Ceni made his first team debut, starting in a 4–1 win against
Tenerife for the Trofeo Ciudad de Santiago de Compostela
friendly championship. In the following year, he was utilized as a starter in the
1994 Copa CONMEBOL, appearing in all matches as his side was crowned champions. In the
1997 season, after
Zetti moved to
Santos, Ceni was chosen as his replacement. On 14 July 2005, Ceni was São Paulo's
captain as the team
won the 2005 Copa Libertadores, a third for the club. Two weeks later, in a match against
Atlético Mineiro, he broke the record for most appearances for the team, with 618 matches – he wore a special commemorative jersey that had the number "618" printed on the back; on 25 July of the following year, he scored a penalty against Mexican side
Guadalajara (also a match-winner), becoming the
Tricolor's all-time leading scorer in the Libertadores. From 2005 to 2007, he scored an astonishing 47 goals in all competitions combined, as the club won two national championships and the
2005 FIFA Club World Cup; in the latter competition, he netted in the semifinals against
Ittihad (3–2, through a
penalty kick), and was voted
Man of the match in
the final against
Liverpool, as well as the tournament's
MVP. On 20 August 2006, Ceni scored his 63rd and record-breaking goal by netting a
free kick against
Cruzeiro in the domestic league, a few minutes after denying a penalty to the opposition. Later in the same match, he scored a goal from the spot and took his total to 64, also tying the match 2–2; this put him two goals ahead of the previous holder,
Paraguayan José Luis Chilavert. in 2008 On 29 October 2006, Ceni made his 700th official appearance for São Paulo, against
Figueirense in a 2–0 victory. Some of the gloss was taken off the occasion when the player was ordered to change his bright yellow jersey because it matched with the
referee's; at the end of the
2007 season, which ended in league conquest, he was voted by the
Brazilian Football Confederation as the Best Player. In April 2009, Ceni fractured his ankle in training, being initially sidelined for six months, but recovering sooner than expected. On 28 October 2010, against
Atlético Paranaense, he played his 700th game as club captain. The following year, on 27 March, he scored from a free kick to win the match against arch rivals
Corinthians, shooting from 18 metres for his 100th goal. On 7 September 2011, Ceni made his 1,000th appearance for São Paulo. In late January of the following year, the 39-year-old underwent an operation on his shoulder, losing six months of competition. On 1 June 2012, Ceni returned to the field, scoring from a direct free kick in a 2–0
Copa Sudamericana away win against
Bahia; his side went on to win
that year's tournament. He subsequently scored three goals in the league, ending the campaign as a starter. Despite already being aged 40, Ceni stated that his spirit for competition was the same as an eighteen-year-old's, but still stating that his recovery is harder than years ago. On 14 July 2013, Ceni scored his 111th goal from a free kick in a 2–3 loss at
Vitória. On 7 December 2013, after lengthy negotiations, Ceni renewed his contract with
Tricolor for a further season. On 20 April 2014, in a 3–0 home win against
Botafogo, he had three records recognized by
Guinness World Records: most goals scored by a goalkeeper, number of games played for the same club and number of times as captain. On 27 October 2014, Ceni broke
Ryan Giggs' record for most wins at a single club after playing in São Paulo's 3–0 win over
Goiás. He finished
the campaign with eight league goals (his best goal scoring record within seven years), being an undisputed starter. On 28 November 2014, Ceni signed a new deal with São Paulo, until August 2015, despite previously stating that he would retire at the end of the season. On 29 March 2015, after scoring in a 3–0 home win against
Linense, he surpassed
Marcelinho Carioca in the number of goals scored by direct free kicks for only one club, with Ceni having 60 and Marcelinho, 59. In June 2015, Ceni scored his 128th goal, entering in the club's top 10 goalscorers list. Ceni announced his retirement from professional football on 6 December 2015. ==International career==