Fernando Cavenaghi facts for kids
Cavenaghi with Girondins de Bordeaux in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 September 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | O'Brien, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.81 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2004 | River Plate | 88 | (55) |
| 2004–2007 | Spartak Moscow | 51 | (12) |
| 2007–2011 | Bordeaux | 83 | (33) |
| 2010 | → Mallorca (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2011 | → Internacional (loan) | 2 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | River Plate | 37 | (19) |
| 2012–2013 | Villarreal | 18 | (4) |
| 2013–2014 | Pachuca | 21 | (4) |
| 2014–2015 | River Plate | 41 | (21) |
| 2015–2016 | APOEL | 18 | (19) |
| Total | 382 | (181) | |
| National team | |||
| 2003 | Argentina U20 | 12 | (11) |
| 2008 | Argentina | 4 | (0) |
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Fernando Ezequiel Cavenaghi (born September 21, 1983) is a retired Argentine professional footballer. He was a fantastic striker, known for scoring goals with both feet from anywhere on the field.
He spent most of his career playing for River Plate in Argentina. He played 210 games and scored 112 goals for them. He helped River Plate win important titles like the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and the 2015 Copa Libertadores.
Cavenaghi also played for teams in other countries. He had great success with Bordeaux in France. There, he helped them win a Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de la Ligue cups, and two Trophée des Champions titles. He also played in Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Cyprus. In his last year as a professional, he was the top scorer in the Cypriot First Division for APOEL.
He was part of the Argentina under-20 team that won the 2003 South American Youth Championship. He was the top scorer in that tournament with eight goals. Later that year, he also scored four goals in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played four games for the senior Argentina national team in 2008.
Contents
Club Career
Starting at River Plate
Fernando Cavenaghi was born in O'Brien, a town in Argentina. He started playing football at a young age, from nine to twelve years old, in local leagues.
He made his first professional appearance for River Plate in the 2000–01 season. He scored one goal in five games that year. In his next full season, he scored 17 goals in 23 games. This included a special game where he scored three goals against Estudiantes.
Moving to Spartak Moscow
In July 2004, Cavenaghi moved to play outside Argentina for the first time. He joined Spartak Moscow in Russia. The club paid a lot of money for him, about $12 million, which was a record for a Russian team back then. However, he found it hard to get used to football in Russia. He didn't play much after a new manager, Vladimir Fedotov, arrived in April 2006. Cavenaghi even spoke publicly about his disagreements with the manager's tactics.
Success with Bordeaux
On January 22, 2007, Cavenaghi joined the French club Bordeaux. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. He could play freely in Europe because he had an Italian passport through his family. His first game in Ligue 1 was on February 3 against Nice.
In his first season, Bordeaux won the Coupe de la Ligue cup. Cavenaghi was a substitute in the final game. During the 2007–08 season, he scored 22 goals in 35 games for Bordeaux.
In 2008, Bordeaux won the 2008 Trophée des Champions. Cavenaghi came on as a substitute in that game. Even though he missed a penalty in the shootout, Bordeaux still won. In the 2008–09 Ligue 1 season, Cavenaghi helped Bordeaux win their first league title in ten years. He scored 13 goals in 29 league games. The team also won the Coupe de la Ligue again that season. On July 25, 2009, Bordeaux won their third trophy of the year, the 2009 Trophée des Champions, with Cavenaghi scoring the first goal.
In August 2010, Cavenaghi went on a one-year loan to the Spanish club Mallorca. A loan means a player temporarily plays for another team. He scored six goals in 13 games for Mallorca. In January 2011, he went on another loan, this time to Internacional in Brazil.
Returning to River Plate
In July 2011, Cavenaghi returned to River Plate. He became the team captain. At this time, River Plate had been moved down to a lower league, called the Primera B Nacional. He scored 19 goals in 37 league games that season. He even scored four goals in one game against Gimnasia de Jujuy. In this one season, he helped the club win the 2011-12 Primera B Nacional title and get promoted back to the top division.
Time in Spain and Mexico
Cavenaghi went back to Spain in August 2012, joining Villarreal. This team had also moved down to a lower league. In his first game, he scored two goals in a 2–1 win. He played 19 games and scored four goals for Villarreal. In January 2013, he left Spain and signed with Pachuca in Mexico.
Third Time at River Plate
In early 2014, Cavenaghi joined River Plate for the third time. He wore his famous number 9 jersey. River Plate won the Argentine Primera División 2014 title. This win allowed them to play in several big international tournaments.
As captain, Cavenaghi led River Plate to win three major international championships: the 2014 Copa Sudamericana, the 2015 Recopa Sudamericana, and the 2015 Copa Libertadores. They even beat their biggest rivals, Boca Juniors, twice during these tournaments. Winning the Copa Libertadores meant River Plate could play in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. Cavenaghi was also the second-highest scorer in the Argentine Primera División 2015 with 11 goals.
APOEL and Retirement
On August 25, 2015, Cavenaghi moved back to Europe. He signed a two-year contract with APOEL in Cyprus. Five days later, he scored two goals in his first game, a 6–2 win. He scored in his first seven league games, getting a total of twelve goals in that short time. He helped APOEL win the Cypriot First Division title. Even though he stopped playing in February 2016 due to an injury, he was still the top goalscorer with 19 goals in only 18 league games.
Cavenaghi played 26 games and scored 23 goals for APOEL. But a serious knee injury forced him to end his contract early in April 2016. Doctors said his recovery would take more than eight months. This bad knee injury eventually made Cavenaghi retire from professional football. He officially announced his retirement in December 2016.
International Career
In December 2002, Fernando Cavenaghi was chosen to play for the Argentina under-20 team. They played in the 2003 South American U-20 Championship in Uruguay. He was the top scorer in the tournament with eight goals. Argentina won the title, and he scored the only goal in the final game against Colombia.
In October of the same year, Cavenaghi was called up again for the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In one game, he scored both goals, including the winning "golden goal," in a 2–1 victory. He scored another golden goal in the next round. Argentina finished fourth in the tournament. Cavenaghi was one of four players who were top scorers with four goals each.
Cavenaghi didn't get a chance to play for the senior Argentina team right away. His club, River Plate, didn't let him join the team for the 2004 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament. He later played in a friendly game for Argentina against Catalonia in December 2004.
In March 2008, Cavenaghi's good performance for Bordeaux earned him his first official call-up to the senior national team. He made his debut in a 2–0 win against Egypt. He played three more friendly games that year. He later said it was hard to find a regular spot on the team because amazing players like Messi, Agüero, and Higuaín were already there.
Personal Life
Fernando Cavenaghi is the oldest of four children. His parents are Edgardo Cavenaghi and Mónica Ferrero. He has been a big fan of River Plate since he was a little boy.
Cavenaghi married his wife, Soledad Gaynor, in 2007. Their first child, a son named Benjamín, was born in October 2008. Benjamín now plays football in the youth system of a club in Uruguay. In 2024, he was even called to play for the Uruguay under-17 national team. In 2010, Cavenaghi's daughter, Sofie, was born.
Honours
River Plate
- Argentina Primera Division: 2002 Clausura, 2003 Clausura, 2004 Clausura, 2014 Final
- Primera B Nacional: 2011–12 Primera B Nacional
- Copa Sudamericana: 2014
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2015
- Copa Libertadores: 2015
Internacional
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 2011
Bordeaux
- Ligue 1: 2008–09
- Trophée des Champions: 2008, 2009
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2006–07, 2008–09
APOEL
- Cypriot First Division: 2015–16
Argentina U20
- South American Youth Championship: 2003
Individual
- South American U-20 Championship Golden Shoe: 2003
- Argentine Primera División top scorer: 2001–02 Clausura
- Cypriot First Division top scorer: 2015–16
See also
In Spanish: Fernando Cavenaghi para niños
