Édgar Osvaldo Barreto Cáceres (born 15 July 1984) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. After starting his career with Cerro Porteño in his homeland and NEC in the Dutch Eredivisie, Barreto spent the vast majority of his career in Italy's Serie A. He made over 260 appearances in the competition, in service of Reggina, Atalanta, Palermo and Sampdoria, and retiring in 2022 after two seasons back in the Netherlands at NEC. Barreto earned 60 caps for the Paraguay national team from 2004 to 2011. After winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, he played for the country at three Copa América tournaments and two FIFA World Cups, finishing as runner-up in the 2011 Copa América. Club career Barreto started his career with Paraguayan club Cerro Porteño, debuting in the 2002 season. The following year he made his debut in the Copa Libertadores. in January 2004, he signed with Eredivisie club NEC Nijmegen. In the summer of 2007, Barreto agreed to a four-year contract with Reggina Calcio. He played an integral part in keeping Reggina in Serie A at the end of the 2007–08 season, earning a reputation for scoring long range goals. In summer 2009, after Reggina moved to Serie B, he was sold to Atalanta Bergamo. At Atalanta, Barreto missed most of his first season through injury, only returning in the last days of the season and not being able to avoid the relegation of his club in Serie B. His excellent performances in Serie B afforded the interest Napoli during the January market. He contributed to the promotion of the Bergamaschi to Serie A in the 2010–11 season, at the end of which he was voted into "Top 11 Serie B" players team by Italian journalists. On 31 August 2011, Barreto moved to Palermo on a four-year contract while a transfer fee of €5.3 million was paid to Atalanta. On 1 July 2015, Barreto signed a contract with U.C. Sampdoria. During an interview in July 2017, Barreto affirmed that he would not return to Paraguayan football due to family reasons, although he recognized that his time at Cerro Porteño was fundamental for his career. In May 2020 he agreed the termination of his contract with Sampdoria. Return to NEC Upon Barreto's contract termination with Sampadoria, NEC's fans had dreamed and expressed his return. Barreto actually owned a house and three apartments