He broke it in Argentine soccer, played in Europe and now has a chain of pastry shops in France

Argentine central defender, tall, brave, with good aerial play, who knew how to stand out in local soccer as well as in Europe, these are characteristics that might not define a specific person. However, if the “pastry businessman who manages an important franchise” is added to these properties, the margin is reduced to a single person: Renato Civelli.

In the difficult stage of retirement, many footballers do not have a clear idea about what to do with their lives. Although there is no such preparation on the part of the clubs, there are players who decide to foresee this situation a few years in advance and there are others who simply let life surprise them at that moment. Some remain linked to the world of football and others decide to embark on paths in very different fields, such as baking.

Renato Civelli, born in Pehuajó on October 14, 1983, was a central defender who stood out in several Argentine clubs as well as in a country that managed to captivate him forever: France. The great influence of the European country is reflected in the businesses that Renato currently runs offering you 100% of your attention.

What was Renato Civelli’s football career like?

Born as a football player in Estudiantes de Pehuajó, Renato Civelli moved to the south of Greater Buenos Aires when he was a teenager, to play in the youth team. banfield. After the youth divisions, the current pastry businessman debuted with the “Taladro” shirt in 2003 when he was 20 years old. In his first time at the southern club he spent two seasons until he went directly to the club. Olympique de Marseille, one of the great teams in France. This is when the love story between the former defender and the French country began. However, between 2006 and 2013 Civelli had comings and goings between Argentina and the French Republic: he returned to play in La Plata Gymnasticsreturned to Olympicthen went to San Lorenzo until you reach the OGC Nice.

From 2013 to 2015, the defender had his time in Turkish football playing for the Bursaspor and then return to the country of the Eiffel Tower, more precisely to Lille LOSC. Already in 2017 Civelli decided to return to his house, Banfield, where he intended to retire. Despite his desire to finish everything where he started, Renato had to stay with the desire and the former San Lorenzo went to play for Huracán.

“I thought I was going to retire at Banfield, but I am leaving with a lawsuit against the club and Eduardo Spinosa and a debt. If the fan does not understand it, it is another discussion, but we footballers are sometimes guilty because we accept one, two, three months down and we end up, like in my case, with 18 months of debt,” he commented in 2020 on FM 94.7.

In any case, Civelli played in Huracán for only a few months and decided to hang up his boots in 2021 at the age of 38 to be able to dedicate himself to his venture.

The life of Renato Civelli after his retirement from football

“I don’t miss football. Today I live more peacefully“, he said in an interview for El Cronista. Far from the green grass, Renato’s path as a businessman (although he doesn’t like to be called that) began when the idea of ​​retirement was floating around in his head.

His stay in France between 2006 and 2016 was fundamental for the idea that he has been carrying out since 2019 with a group of partners, including his brother Luciano. Despite having a daughter born in the European country and visiting it on winter vacation, Civelli and his wife decided to plant their flag in Argentina.

Civelli owns the Gontran Charrier franchise in Argentina, “L’artisan boulanger de Paris” (The artisanal baker of Paris), a French bakery and pastry shop with more than 50 branches around the world. With six stores under his belt (Núñez, Belgrano, Microcentro, Palermo and Recoleta), Renato Civelli became an expert in the gastronomic business in which he imports French flour and butter for the production of his products.

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He famous pastry chef, Gontran Charrier, landed in Argentina a few years ago with the idea of ​​expanding its business in South America. Wanting to start a business, Renato and a French friend who lives in the country visited the successful pastry chef, who did not recognize the former soccer player since he does not like soccer. However, Gotran’s right-hand man knew Civelli through his extensive career in France and they established a good channel of dialogue. In 2018 Charrier and the former defender signed a 10-year contract for the brand to reach the Argentinaand In 2019 the first branch was opened.

A few months after the opening of the business, the Covid pandemic arrived, which shook the company in the country, but Civelli and his brother overcame the bad situation. “At first everything cost us twice as much because we had no experience and the things that take a gastronomic out there ten days took us twenty. But personally I like to learn, I try to train myself, so we have already completed 5 years,” he told Noticias. in an interview given in April. Likewise, Renato added that he has plans to expand in other countries such as Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay since he has a very good relationship with Grotan Charrier, who visits the country twice a year. However, the former soccer player considers that in the business world “he is still inferior.”

Finally, although he is constantly growing in his field, Civelli did not rule out his return to the world of baseball. Currently, the brave former defender and gastronomic businessman is not willing to move his entire family back to football, but he is not closing the doors definitively: “Working outside may be, but not as a coach. I like to put together projects as a manager and I don’t think that position is well developed in Argentina, so possibly I would like to work at some point in football in the future.”