Javier Saviola facts for kids
Saviola during his presentation as a Benfica player, 2009
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 December 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Barcelona U19 (assistant) Encamp (futsal) |
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| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parque Chas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| River Plate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | River Plate | 86 | (45) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2007 | Barcelona | 123 | (49) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | → Monaco (loan) | 29 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Sevilla (loan) | 29 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Real Madrid | 17 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Benfica | 69 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Málaga | 27 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Olympiacos | 26 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Verona | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | River Plate | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 434 | (159) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Argentina U20 | 7 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | Argentina | 39 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2022 | Ordino (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Barcelona U19 (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández is a former professional footballer from Argentina. He was born on December 11, 1981. Javier played as a forward, which means he was mainly responsible for scoring goals.
He played for famous clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid. He also had great times playing for Benfica and Olympiacos. In 2004, he was named the youngest player on Pelé's FIFA 100 list. This list included the 125 greatest living footballers at the time.
Javier Saviola also has Spanish citizenship. He played in La Liga, Spain's top football league, for eight seasons. He started and finished his career at River Plate in Argentina.
During his career, Saviola won league titles in Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. He also won the UEFA Cup. He played for the Argentine national team for seven years. He represented his country in the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Copa América, where Argentina reached the final. He also won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at River Plate
Javier Saviola was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was nicknamed El Conejo, which means The Rabbit. He started playing for River Plate when he was just 16 years old. He quickly became a top goalscorer for the club.
He helped River Plate win the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura championships. In 1999, he won the South American Footballer of the Year award. At only 18, he was seen as a huge talent. Some even thought he could be the next Diego Maradona. He broke Maradona's 1978 record by becoming the youngest player to win the Golden Boot award.
Playing for Barcelona
In 2001, when he was 19, Saviola moved to Europe. He joined Barcelona in Spain. He got Spanish citizenship soon after. This meant he was not counted as a foreign player, which helped the team. In his first season, he scored 17 goals in La Liga.
His second year at Barcelona started slowly. He scored only two goals in the first half of the season. But after a new coach, Radomir Antić, arrived, he scored eleven goals in the second half. For the 2003–04 season, Frank Rijkaard became the new manager. Saviola scored 14 league goals, but the club decided to loan him out.
Saviola was loaned to Monaco in France for the 2004–05 season. The next year, he was loaned to Sevilla. With Sevilla, he won his first European title, the UEFA Cup, in 2005–06. He also scored nine goals in the league that season.
Saviola returned to Barcelona for the 2006–07 season. He played in 18 league games and scored five goals. He also scored five goals in five matches in the Copa del Rey, including a hat-trick against Alavés.
Time at Real Madrid
On July 10, 2007, Saviola joined Real Madrid after his Barcelona contract ended. Even though he had a good contract, he didn't play much. He was mostly used in cup games or as a substitute in league and UEFA Champions League matches.
He ended his time at Real Madrid with five goals in 28 games overall.
Success with Benfica
On June 26, 2009, Benfica in Portugal signed Saviola. He scored two goals in a friendly tournament, the 2009 Guadiana Trophy, against Athletic Bilbao.
On October 22, 2009, Saviola scored twice to help Benfica win 5–0 against Everton in the UEFA Europa League. Four days later, he scored two more goals in a 6–1 league win against C.D. Nacional.
On December 6, 2009, Saviola scored a great goal against Académica de Coimbra. On December 20, he scored the only goal in a home win against rivals Porto. During this successful season, he and Óscar Cardozo formed a strong attacking duo, scoring over 50 goals together.
Benfica won the league title that season. Saviola scored his 19th goal of the season in a 3–1 win against Paços de Ferreira on March 7.
Later Career: Málaga, Olympiacos, Verona
In 2012, Saviola moved to Málaga. He played his first game on September 1, helping his team win 1–0 against Real Zaragoza. On September 15, 2012, he scored once and made an assist in a 3–1 win against Levante. He also scored in Málaga's first-ever Champions League group stage game, a 3–0 win over Zenit Saint Petersburg.
On July 25, 2013, Saviola signed with Greek champions Olympiacos. He scored his first goal in the Superleague on August 25. On December 10, he scored two goals in a 3–1 win over Anderlecht in the Champions League group stage. This win helped Olympiacos qualify for the next round.
On September 2, 2014, Saviola joined Serie A club Hellas Verona in Italy. He scored his first goal for them on December 2 in a cup game. His only league goal came on January 25, 2015, in a 1–0 win against Atalanta.
Returning Home and Retirement
On June 30, 2015, River Plate announced that Saviola had returned to his first club. He left in January 2016 after not scoring any goals in his second time there. He then retired from professional football at the age of 34.
After retiring, Saviola moved to Andorra with his family. He became an assistant manager for Ordino in Andorra's top football league. In February 2018, he joined a local futsal team, Encamp. He won the futsal league with them in April of that year.
International Career for Argentina
Saviola was a star in the 2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was held in Argentina. He was the top scorer and was named the best player of the tournament. The national team won the competition. He scored 11 goals in seven games, setting a record for the most goals in the tournament's history.
Three years later, Saviola played in the 2004 Olympic Games and won the gold medal with Argentina. He also played for the senior national team. He was part of the teams that reached the finals of the 2004 Copa América and the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored three goals in the Copa América and one in the Confederations Cup.
Saviola was chosen to play for Argentina in the 2006 World Cup. He scored against Ivory Coast in Argentina's first game. He also made two assists in the 6–0 win over Serbia and Montenegro in the group stage.
On December 5, 2009, Saviola announced his retirement from international football. He said he wanted to focus on playing for his club team.
Style of Play
Saviola was known for his amazing speed, quickness, and dribbling skills. He could score goals from almost anywhere on the field. He was a small, talented, and goal-scoring forward. He could play as a main striker, or in a more creative role as a second striker. Sometimes, he even played as an attacking midfielder who helped set up plays.
Throughout his career, Saviola was called El Conejo (The Rabbit) because of how he looked. He was also called El Pibito (The Little Kid). This was a reference to his fellow Argentine, Diego Maradona, who was known as El Pibe de Oro (The Golden Kid). Saviola was often compared to Maradona when he was young.
Media Appearances
Saviola was sponsored by the sportswear company Nike. He appeared in commercials for the brand. In a big advertising campaign before the 2002 World Cup, he was in a "Secret Tournament" commercial. He appeared alongside other famous footballers like Luís Figo, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldinho.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 1998–99 | Argentine Primera División | 19 | 6 | — | — | 19 | 6 | ||||
| 1999–2000 | Argentine Primera División | 33 | 19 | — | — | 33 | 19 | |||||
| 2000–01 | Argentine Primera División | 34 | 20 | — | — | 34 | 20 | |||||
| Total | 86 | 45 | — | — | 86 | 45 | ||||||
| Barcelona | 2001–02 | La Liga | 36 | 17 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 4 | 48 | 21 | |
| 2002–03 | La Liga | 36 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 7 | 51 | 20 | ||
| 2003–04 | La Liga | 33 | 14 | 5 | 2 | — | 7 | 3 | 45 | 19 | ||
| 2006–07 | La Liga | 18 | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | 24 | 10 | ||
| Total | 123 | 49 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 14 | 168 | 70 | ||
| Monaco (loan) | 2004–05 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 42 | 17 |
| Sevilla (loan) | 2005–06 | La Liga | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 6 | 42 | 15 | |
| Real Madrid | 2007–08 | La Liga | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 17 | 3 | |
| 2008–09 | La Liga | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | ||
| Total | 17 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 5 | ||
| Benfica | 2009–10 | Primeira Liga | 27 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 44 | 19 |
| 2010–11 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 45 | 14 | |
| 2011–12 | Primeira Liga | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 6 | |
| Total | 69 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 29 | 7 | 120 | 39 | ||
| Málaga | 2012–13 | La Liga | 27 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 37 | 9 | |
| Olympiacos | 2013–14 | Super League Greece | 25 | 12 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | 34 | 14 | |
| 2014–15 | Super League Greece | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 26 | 12 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 2 | 35 | 14 | |||
| Verona | 2014–15 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| River Plate | 2015 | Argentine Primera División | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Career total | 434 | 159 | 44 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 99 | 34 | 590 | 216 | ||
International Performance
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2000 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 10 | 5 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | 11 | |
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Saviola goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 April 2003 | June 11, Tripoli, Libya |  Libya |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 June 2003 | Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan |  Japan |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 June 2003 | Seoul World Cup, Seoul, South Korea |  South Korea |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 30 June 2004 | Giants Stadium, New Jersey, United States |  Peru |
2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 7 July 2004 | Elías Aguirre, Chiclayo, Peru |  Ecuador |
2–1 | 6–1 | 2004 Copa América |
| 6 | 3–1 | |||||
| 7 | 4–1 | |||||
| 8 | 17 November 2004 | El Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Venezuela |
3–1 | 3–2 | 2006 World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 15 June 2005 | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne, Germany |  Tunisia |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 10 | 10 June 2006 | Imtech Arena, Hamburg, Germany |  Ivory Coast |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 11 | 7 February 2007 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  France |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: 1999 Apertura, 2000 Clausura
- Copa Libertadores: 2015
- Suruga Bank Championship: 2015
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2015
Sevilla
- UEFA Cup: 2005–06
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2007–08
- Supercopa de España: 2008
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2009–10
- Taça da Liga: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira runner-up: 2010
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2013–14
Argentina
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2001
- Summer Olympic Games: 2004
- Copa América runner-up: 2004
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2005
Individual Awards
- Argentine Primera División: 1999 Apertura Top scorer
- South American Footballer of the Year: 1999
- South American Team of the Year: 1999
- Player of the Year of Argentina: 1999
- FIFA World Youth Championship: Golden Shoe 2001
- FIFA World Youth Championship: Golden Ball 2001
- Trofeo EFE: 2001–02
- Copa del Rey Top scorer: 2006–07
- Primeira Liga: Player of the Month December 2009
- Portuguese Golden Ball: 2010
- FIFA 100
See also
In Spanish: Javier Saviola para niños
