Fernando Cavenaghi facts for kids
Cavenaghi with Girondins de Bordeaux in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fernando Ezequiel Cavenaghi | ||
| Date of birth | 21 September 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | O'Brien, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Argentina U20 | 12 | (11) |
| 2008 | Argentina | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Fernando Ezequiel Cavenaghi (born September 21, 1983) is a retired Argentine professional footballer. He was a fantastic striker, known for scoring goals with either foot and from different distances. He spent most of his career playing for River Plate in Argentina.
Cavenaghi played for River Plate three different times. He appeared in 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. Outside Argentina, he had great success with Bordeaux in France. There, he won a Ligue 1 title and two Coupe de la Ligue and Trophée des Champions trophies each. He also played for teams in Spain, Brazil, Mexico, and Cyprus. In his final year as a professional, he was the top scorer in the Cypriot First Division while playing for APOEL.
Cavenaghi was also part of the Argentina under-20 team. They won the 2003 South American Youth Championship, where he was the top scorer. In the same year, he helped the team reach the semi-finals at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played four games for Argentina's senior national team in 2008.
Club Football Journey
Starting at River Plate
Fernando Cavenaghi was born in O'Brien, a town in Argentina. He started playing football in regional leagues when he was nine years old.
He made his first professional appearance for River Plate in the 2000–01 season. In that season, he scored one goal in five games. In his first full season, he scored 17 goals in 23 games. This included scoring three goals in one match against Estudiantes.
Moving to Spartak Moscow
In July 2004, Cavenaghi moved to Russia to play for Spartak Moscow. The club paid US$12 million for him, which was a record fee for a Russian team at the time. However, he found it hard to get used to Russian football. He was not played much after a new manager arrived in April 2006.
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. On February 3, he played his first Ligue 1 match. In his first season, Bordeaux won the Coupe de la Ligue. 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 after a penalty shootout. Cavenaghi helped Bordeaux win their first league title in ten years in the 2008–09 Ligue 1 season. He scored 13 goals in 29 league matches that season. The team also won the Coupe de la Ligue again. On July 25, 2009, Bordeaux won their third trophy of the year, the 2009 Trophée des Champions, with Cavenaghi scoring the first goal.
Loan Spells in Spain and Brazil
Cavenaghi joined Spanish club Mallorca on loan on August 26, 2010. He scored six goals in 13 games for the club. In January 2011, Cavenaghi moved to Brazil to play for Internacional on a year-long loan.
Returning to River Plate
In July 2011, Cavenaghi returned to River Plate. He became the team captain. River Plate had been moved down to a lower league. He scored 19 goals in 37 league matches that season. He helped the club win the 2011-12 Primera B Nacional title and get promoted back to the top division.
Time with Villarreal and Pachuca
Cavenaghi went back to Spain in August 2012, signing with Villarreal. On 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, Cavenaghi moved to 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 title in 2014. This allowed them to play in several 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 rival, Boca Juniors, twice during these tournaments. Winning the Copa Libertadores meant River Plate could play in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan. He was the second-highest scorer in the 2015 Argentine Primera División with 11 goals.
APOEL and Retirement
On August 25, 2015, Cavenaghi moved back to Europe to play for APOEL in Cyprus. Five days later, he scored two goals in his first game. He scored in his first seven league games, totaling twelve goals. He helped APOEL win the Cypriot First Division title. Even though he missed the last three months of the season due to injury, he was still the top goalscorer with 19 goals in only 18 league games.
Cavenaghi played 26 matches and scored 23 goals for APOEL. However, a serious knee injury forced him to end his contract early in April 2016. His recovery was expected to take more than eight months. This serious injury eventually led Cavenaghi to retire from professional football. He officially announced his retirement on December 27, 2016.
Playing for Argentina
Youth National Team
In December 2002, Fernando Cavenaghi was chosen 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.
In October of the same year, Cavenaghi was called up again for the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup. In the knockout stages, he scored important goals, including "golden goals" that immediately won the game. Argentina finished fourth in the tournament. Cavenaghi was one of the top scorers with four goals.
Senior National Team
Cavenaghi got his first official call-up to the senior national team in March 2008. He made his debut on March 26 in a friendly game against Egypt. He played three more friendly matches that year. He earned a total of four caps for Argentina. He later said it was hard to find a regular spot because amazing players like Messi, Agüero, and Higuaín were already on the team.
Personal Life
Fernando Cavenaghi is the oldest of four children. He has been a fan of River Plate since he was a little boy. He married his wife, Soledad Gaynor, in 2007. Their first child, Benjamín, was born on October 2, 2008. Benjamín now plays football in the youth system of a club in Uruguay. In 2024, he was even called up to play for Uruguay's under-17 national team. Cavenaghi's daughter, Sofie, was born in 2010.
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
