Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the 11th of December 1981, his obvious talent soon catching the attentions of Argentina's biggest clubs. To understand how he could have been considered one of the world’s greatest players back in 2004, it is important to understand just how quickly and spectacularly his career got off the ground. His lightning quick pace, lethal finishing and predatory instincts had earned him the nickname El Conejo (the rabbit) and he joined River Plate, who spotted him playing for local side Parque Chas. So advanced was Javier that he made his first team debut in at the age of 16 and in his first season, 1998-99, he scored six goals from 19 appearances. It didn’t take too long for him to earn another nickname, the 'new Maradona'. In 1999-00, he scored 19 goals to help River Plate win both of the league championships and as a result, he became the youngest player to win the South American Footballer of the Year. Aged only 18 at the time, it is a record that still stands to this day. His second season saw him hit 20 goals, although River would not repeat their title triumph, it was still a season of personal triumph for him. He was then selected for the 2001 FIFA Youth World Cup, despite having made his full international debut months earlier. Eleven goals by the River Plate forward saw him crowned 'Player of the Tournament', in addition to being top scorer as Argentina won all seven games to lift the trophy for the fourth time. Having already alerted several European clubs to his talents, his success at the tournament prompted Barcelona to make a move for him. His transfer fee of £15 million made him the world’s most expensive teenager at the time.
So it was that in the early years of the new millennium, 'the little rabbit' appeared destined for greatness, as plenty of Argentines have been labelled the 'new Maradona' over the years, but for a while it seemed like Javier Saviola might actually be the one to justify the comparison. Paired with Patrick Kluivert, he had a great first season, netting 21 goals. They once again finished 4th in La Liga, but made it to the Champions League semi-finals but were, however, to endure further heartbreak at the hands of their most bitter rivals. Real Madrid inflicted a 2-0 home defeat on Barcelona, and went on to win the final in Glasgow. In spite of being in red hot form, Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa stated that the 2002 World Cup was too soon for Saviola but when they did not progress from the group stage, this looked like quite a foolish decision. Fresh from a summer’s rest, the young striker returned to Barcelona for what would be a nightmare season for his club. Louis van Gaal had returned to the Nou Camp for a second spell in charge, but was sacked in January 2003 following a poor start to the league season. His decision to let club icon Rivaldo leave for AC Milan had not been a popular decision. He was replaced by Radomir Antić for the rest of the season as Barcelona finished in sixth place, their worst La Liga position in 15 years but Javier still managed to score another 20 goals, in spite of the club's on-field problems. In the summer of 2003, Frank Rijkaard was surprisingly appointed as manager and after a poor start, which saw them hovering just above the relegation zone, Rijkaard turned it around as Ronaldinho, Kluivert and Saviola hit a rich vein of form to steer Barcelona to second place. This run included a 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu, and they finished five points behind champions Valencia. In spite of having scored 60 goals in three season, Javier found himself surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp. When Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o was brought in from Real Mallorca, he began the first of two loan spells with Monaco and Seville. On the 10th of July 2007, Real Madrid signed Javier after his Barcelona contract expired, on a three-year deal. Although on a financially lucrative contract, he endured a difficult time at Real, being mainly restricted to cup matches and sporadic appearances (mainly as a substitute). His lack of playing time also harmed his international aspirations as he never made a single appearance for Argentina after leaving the Nou Camp. He did, however, win his first La Liga title in 2008 but on the 26th of June 2009, Benfica and Real Madrid agreed on a €5 million deal that would see him play in Portugal for the next three years. He settled into the squad immediately, and was soon scoring on a regular basis. He particularly impressed in the UEFA Cup, scoring against Liverpool and notching two against Everton, and in his first season netted 19 times in all competitions, and helped steer his new club to a Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga (league cup) double. The last few years of his career were spent in a bit of a journeyman fashion. Between 2012 and 2015, he spent a single season each at Malaga, Olympiakos and Verona. In 2015 he returned to his homeland, joining his first club River Plate. He spent six months back at the club before, in January 2016, leaving the club after failing to score a single goal in thirteen appearances. A few months later he announced his retirement from professional football.
Although the career of Javier Saviola could hardly be considered a failure, he scored more than 200 goals over eighteen years and played for some of the biggest clubs in the world. It is quite surprising, however, given the impact he made when he first made the world aware of his talents, that he didn’t achieve more.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/06/footballs-nearly-men-jack-rodwell.html
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