Javier Saviola facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Saviola and the second or maternal family name is Fernández.

Quick facts for kids
Javier Saviola

Saviola during his presentation as a Benfica player, 2009

Personal information

Date of birth

11 December 1981 (age 43)

Place of birth

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Height

1.68 m

Playing position

Forward

Club information

Current club

Barcelona U19 (assistant)

Encamp (futsal)

Youth career

Parque Chas

River Plate

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1998–2001

River Plate

(45)

2001–2007

Barcelona

123

(49)

2004–2005

→ Monaco (loan)

(7)

2005–2006

→ Sevilla (loan)

(9)

2007–2009

Real Madrid

(4)

2009–2012

Benfica

(24)

2012–2013

Málaga

(8)

2013–2014

Olympiacos

(12)

2014–2015

Verona

(1)

2015–2016

River Plate

(0)

Total

434

(159)

National team

2001

Argentina U20

(11)

2000–2007

Argentina

(11)

Teams managed

2016–2022

Ordino (assistant)

2022–

Barcelona U19 (assistant)

Honours

Men's football

Representing Argentina
Olympic Games
Gold	2004 Athens
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Winner	2001 Argentina
Copa América
Runner-up	2004 Peru
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up	2005 Germany

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (born on December 11, 1981) is a former Argentine footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually one of the main goal scorers for his team.

Saviola 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, which featured the 125 greatest living footballers.

He has Spanish citizenship and played many games in La Liga, Spain's top football league. Saviola started and ended his career at River Plate in Argentina. He won league titles in Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. He also won a UEFA Cup, which is a big European competition.

Javier Saviola played for the Argentine national team for seven years. He played in the 2006 World Cup and helped Argentina reach the final of the 2004 Copa América. He also won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Javier Saviola's Club Career
Javier Saviola's International Career
How Javier Saviola Played
Saviola in Media
Javier Saviola's Awards and Trophies
Images for kids
See also

Javier Saviola's Club Career

Starting at River Plate

Javier Saviola was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. People called him El Conejo, which means The Rabbit, because of his quick movements. He started playing for River Plate when he was only 16 years old. He quickly became a top goal scorer 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. He was only 18 then! Many thought he could be the next Diego Maradona, another famous Argentine player. Saviola even broke Maradona's 1978 record by becoming the youngest player to win the Golden Boot award.

Playing for Barcelona

In 2001, when Saviola was 19, he moved to Europe to play for Barcelona in Spain. This was a big move for him. He soon got Spanish citizenship. This was important because it meant he wasn't counted as a foreign player, which allowed more non-European Union players on the team.

In his first season, he scored 17 goals. This made him one of the top scorers in La Liga. His second year at Barcelona was a bit harder at first, but he still scored many goals. In the 2003–04 season, he scored 14 goals in the league.

Saviola with Barcelona in 2007

After a few years, Barcelona decided to loan Saviola out to other teams. In 2004, he played for Monaco in France. The next year, he went on loan to Sevilla in Spain. With Sevilla, he won his first European title, the UEFA Cup, in 2006. 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 the Copa del Rey, including three goals in one game against Alavés.

Time at Real Madrid

On July 10, 2007, Saviola signed a three-year contract with Real Madrid. This was interesting because Real Madrid is Barcelona's biggest rival! However, he didn't play as much at Real Madrid. He mostly played in cup matches or came on as a substitute in league and UEFA Champions League games. He scored five goals in 28 games for Real Madrid.

Success with Benfica

Saviola celebrating a goal for Benfica, 2011

On June 26, 2009, Saviola moved to Benfica in Portugal. He signed a three-year deal. He quickly started scoring goals. In October 2009, he scored two goals against Everton in the UEFA Europa League. He also scored two goals in a league game against C.D. Nacional.

Saviola scored many important goals for Benfica. He scored the only goal in a big game against rivals Porto. He and his teammate, Óscar Cardozo, scored more than 50 goals together that season! In 2010, Benfica won the league championship.

Playing for Málaga

In 2012, Saviola joined Málaga in Spain. He quickly made an impact, scoring and assisting in his first few games. He also scored in Málaga's first-ever game in the Champions League group stage, helping them win 3–0 against Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Adventures in Greece and Italy

On July 25, 2013, Saviola signed with Greek champions Olympiacos. He scored his first goal in the Superleague in August. In December, he scored two goals in a Champions League game against Anderlecht. This helped Olympiacos finish second in their group and move on in the competition.

In September 2014, Saviola joined Serie A club Hellas Verona in Italy. He scored his first goal for them in December in a cup game. He also scored one league goal for Verona.

Returning Home to River Plate

On June 30, 2015, Saviola returned to his first club, River Plate. He played for them for a few months but didn't score any goals this time. In January 2016, he left the club and decided to retire from professional football at the age of 34.

Life After Playing: Coaching and Futsal

After retiring, Saviola moved to Andorra with his family. He became an assistant manager for a football team called Ordino. In 2018, he also started playing futsal, which is a type of indoor football, for a local team called Encamp. He even won the futsal league with them!

Javier Saviola's International Career

Saviola in the Argentina national team, 2007

Saviola was a star in the 2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was held in Argentina. He was the top scorer in the tournament with 11 goals in seven games, setting a new record. He was also voted the best player of the tournament, and his national team won the competition.

In 2004, Saviola played in the Olympic Games and won a 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.

Saviola was chosen to play for Argentina in the 2006 World Cup. He scored a goal against Ivory Coast in Argentina's first game. He also made two assists in a big 6–0 win against Serbia and Montenegro.

On December 5, 2009, Saviola decided to retire from international football. He wanted to focus on playing for his club team. He scored 11 goals in 39 games for the Argentina national team.

How Javier Saviola Played

Saviola was known for being very fast and agile. He was great at dribbling the ball past defenders. He could score goals from almost anywhere on the field. He was a small but very talented forward. He could play as a main striker or in a more creative role, helping to set up goals.

Because of his quickness, he was nicknamed El Conejo (The Rabbit). He was also sometimes called El Pibito (The Little Kid). This was a nod to Diego Maradona, who was called El Pibe de Oro (The Golden Kid). Many people compared Saviola to Maradona when he was young.

Saviola in Media

Saviola was sponsored by the sportswear company Nike. He appeared in some of their commercials. In a big ad campaign for the 2002 World Cup, he was in a "Secret Tournament" commercial. He appeared alongside other famous footballers like Luís Figo, Thierry Henry, and Ronaldinho.