Javier Saviola | ||
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Personal information | ||
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Full name | Javier Pedro Saviola | |
Date of birth | December 11, 1981 | |
Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | |
Playing position | Striker | |
Club information | ||
Current club | Real Madrid | |
Number | 9 | |
Senior clubs1 | ||
Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
1998–2001 2001–2007 2004–2005 2005–2006 2007– |
River Plate FC Barcelona → Monaco (loan) → Sevilla (loan) Real Madrid |
111 (55) 164 (70) 36 (12) 43 (14) 16 (4) |
National team2 | ||
2001 2000– |
Argentina U20 Argentina |
44 (12) |
7 (11)
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
Javier Pedro Saviola (born December 11, 1981 in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province) is an Argentine professional football player, who plays for Real Madrid. His usual position is as striker. He is known for his speed and ability to score from almost any position. He has scored 12 goals in 44 games for the Argentina national team, and represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2005, he was the youngest named on the FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers.
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Nicknamed El Conejito (The Little Rabbit), Saviola made his debut for Argentine side River Plate at the age of 16, and went on to be a prolific goalscorer for the club. He helped River Plate win the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura championships, and earned the 1999 South American Footballer of the Year award. Still only 18, he gained a reputation as a phenomenal prospect.
That summer, aged 19, he moved abroad to play for FC Barcelona in Spain. He obtained Spanish citizenship, and thereby wasn't restricted by the Spanish league maximum on the number of non-European Union citizens allowed in each club. Under coach Louis Van Gaal, he scored 17 goals in his first season, finishing third best scorer in La Liga.
His second year at the club did not start well, as he only scored two goals in the first half of the season. When Van Gaal was fired and Radomir Antić became new Barcelona manager, Saviola went on to score eleven goals in the latter half of the 2002-03 season. At the start of the 2003-04 season, Frank Rijkaard was appointed as new manager. Saviola scored 14 goals during the season, but was deemed surplus at the club.
Saviola was sent on loan the following year, as he moved to AS Monaco in the French Ligue 1 championship in the summer 2004. As he did not fit into Rijkaard's plans, Saviola was again loaned out in the summer of 2005, this time to Spanish club Sevilla FC, in order to replace attacking player Júlio Baptista who moved to Real Madrid. At Sevilla, Saviola won his first title in Europe, when the club won the 2006 UEFA Cup.
Saviola returned to Barcelona for the 2006/07 La Liga season, playing in 18 league games (6 as a starter, 12 as a substitute) and scoring 5 goals. In the Copa del Rey, he appeared in 5 games (3 starts, 2 substitutions), scoring 5 goals. He also made a solitary Champions League appearance.
On July 10, 2007 it was reported that Real Madrid signed Saviola after his Barcelona contract expired. The club's website published Saviola's first interview in Madrid on July 12, confirming that he would be presented to the press the next day as a new Real Madrid player.[1] On July 13, Saviola completed his free transfer to Real Madrid CF, signing a contract that ends in 2010.[2] He scored a goal in a Copa Del Rey match loss against Real Union. He also scored in a league match against Getafe which ended in a 3-1 defeat for Real Madrid.
Saviola starred in the 2001 edition of the World Youth Cup, held in Argentina. He was top scorer and was voted player of the tournament, as the Argentine youth national team won the competition. With 11 goals in seven games, he became the record goal-scorer in World Youth Cup history. His vintage performance earned himself an offer from the European clubs, but surprisingly, he failed to get a call up of the Argentina national football team to take part in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Two years later, Saviola played in the 2004 Olympic Games and won the Olympic Gold Medal with the Argentine squad. Under coach Marcelo Bielsa, Saviola was given few playing opportunities for Argentina, but after Bielsa's resignation in 2004, new coach José Pekerman, who was the Argentine youth national team in 2001, gave Saviola more chance to play for the national team.
Saviola was called up to represent Argentina at the 2006 FIFA World Cup by José Pekerman. Striker Luciano Figueroa and winger Luciano Galletti were in contention for a place on the roster, but Saviola's excellent form for Sevilla, scoring a handy 20 goals in 55 games and winning UEFA Cup with the Andalusian team, secured his place in the squad. Saviola made his presence felt at the tournament, as he scored a goal against Côte d'Ivoire in Argentina's opening game, and made two assists in the 6-0 victory against Serbia and Montenegro.
Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
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Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
Argentina | League | Cup | South America | Total | ||||||
1998-99 | River Plate | Primera División | 20 | 7 | - | |||||
1999-00 | 31 | 17 | - | |||||||
2000-01 | 35 | 20 | - | |||||||
Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | ||||||
2001-02 | Barcelona | La Liga | 32 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 44 | 21 |
2002-03 | 36 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 51 | 20 | ||
2003-04 | 33 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 45 | 19 | ||
France | League | Coupe de France | Europe | Total | ||||||
2004-05 | Monaco | Ligue 1 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 36 | 12 |
Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | ||||||
2005-06 | Sevilla | La Liga | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 43 | 14 |
2006-07 | Barcelona | 18 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 10 | |
2007-08 | Real Madrid | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
2008-09 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | ||
Total | Argentina | 86 | 44 | - | - | 111 | 55 | |||
Spain | 165 | 62 | 20 | 8 | 50 | 19 | 235 | 88 | ||
France | 29 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 36 | 12 | ||
Career Total | 278 | 114 | 20 | 8 | 57 | 23 | 372 | 153 |
Medal record | |||
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Olympic Games | |||
Men's football | |||
Gold | 2004 Athens | Team |
Preceded by Roberto Toro Acuña |
Trofeo EFE Best Iberoamerican Player of the Spanish League 2001-2002 |
Succeeded by Ronaldo |
Preceded by Pablo Couñago |
2001 Fifa U-20 World Cup Golden Shoe 2001 |
Succeeded by Eddie Johnson |
Preceded by Seydou Keita |
2001 Fifa U-20 World Cup Golden Ball 2001 |
Succeeded by Ismail Matar |
Preceded by Gabriel Batistuta |
Olimpia de Plata - Best Argentine soccer player 1999 |
Succeeded by Juan Roman Riquelme |
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Persondata | |
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NAME | Saviola, Javier Pedro |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Saviola, Javier |
SHORT DESCRIPTION | Argentine footballer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 11, 1981 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
DATE OF DEATH | |
PLACE OF DEATH |