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Javier Saviola
Topics: Argentina international footballers Argentine footballers Olympic footballers of Argentina Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Spanish-Argentines
Javier Pedro Saviola is an Argentinian professional football player, who plays for Real Madrid. His usual position is as striker. He is known for his speed and ability to score from almost any position. He has scored 10 goals in 34 games for the Argentina national team, and represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2005, he was the youngest named on the FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers.
Nicknamed El Conejito (The Little Rabbit), Saviola made his debut for Argentine side River Plate at the age of 16, and went on to be a prolific goalscorer for the club. He helped River Plate win the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura championships, and earned the 1999 South American Footballer of the Year award. Still only 18, he gained a reputation as a phenomenal prospect.
His second year at the club did not start well, as he only scored two goals in the first half of the season. When Van Gaal was fired and Radomir Antic became new Barcelona manager, Saviola went on to score eleven goals in the latter half of the 2002-03 season. At the start of the 2003-04 season, Frank Rijkaard was appointed as new manager. Saviola scored 14 goals during the season, but was deemed surplus at the club.
Related websites
Goal.com - Real Madrid - Real Madrid Will Sign Saviola
Real Madrid C.F. Web Oficial - Real Madrid C.F. Official Web Site
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