Rinaldi began his career at U.S. Consalvo, a small team from the Quadraro district in Rome, before moving first to Lodigiani and then to S.S. Lazio. He never played for Lazio in the Serie A. In 1993, he was transferred to the Serie C1 team in Nola where he caught the attention of scouts for Hellas Verona F.C., for whom he played in the 1994–95 season in the Italian Serie B. He then moved to Ravenna Calcio, where he became a first-choice player and with whom he played for three seasons, and then to Bologna F.C. 1909 in 1998. In 1999, he moved to A.S. Roma, where he won the league championship in 2001.