Javier Pedro Saviola Fernandez is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward.
19 Facts About Javier Saviola
2.
Javier Saviola represented both Barcelona and Real Madrid, having notable spells with Benfica and Olympiacos, and was named as the youngest player on Pele's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004.
3.
Javier Saviola won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
4.
Javier Saviola helped River to the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura championships, and earned the 1999 South American Footballer of the Year award.
5.
Javier Saviola obtained Spanish citizenship shortly after, thereby not being restricted by the Spanish league maximum on the number of non-European Union citizens allowed in each team; under coach Carles Rexach, he scored 17 goals in his first season, finishing joint-fourth top scorer in La Liga.
6.
Javier Saviola was sent on loan in the summer of 2004, moving to AS Monaco FC in Ligue 1.
7.
Javier Saviola benefited greatly from injuries to teammates, most notably to Samuel Eto'o, and added five in as many matches in that season's Copa del Rey, notably a hat-trick against Deportivo Alaves.
8.
On 3 January 2010, shortly before receiving the SJPF Player of the Month award, Javier Saviola scored another winning goal against Nacional, now for the Taca da Liga, again being the game's only scorer in an away defeat of Rio Ave FC, netting in the 48th minute.
9.
On 25 July 2013, Javier Saviola signed a two-year contract with Greek champions Olympiacos FC.
10.
On 2 September 2014, Javier Saviola joined Serie A club Hellas Verona FC.
11.
On 30 June 2015, River Plate announced that Javier Saviola had returned to the club.
12.
Immediately after retiring, Javier Saviola settled in Andorra with his family and was appointed assistant manager at FC Ordino in the Primera Divisio.
13.
Javier Saviola starred in the 2001 edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, held in Argentina.
14.
Javier Saviola was top scorer and was voted player of the tournament, as the national team won the competition; with 11 goals in seven games, he became the record goal-scorer in the tournament's history.
15.
Two years later, Javier Saviola played in the 2004 Olympic Games and won the gold medal.
16.
Javier Saviola retired from international football on 5 December 2009, although not yet 28.
17.
Javier Saviola stated that he felt his career as an Argentina player had come to an end, and that he wanted to concentrate on club football.
18.
Javier Saviola was known for his speed, agility, dribbling and ability to score from almost any attacking position on the field.
19.
Javier Saviola was sponsored by sportswear company Nike, and appeared in commercials for the brand.