Background and career
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ ˈpeðɾo saˈβjola feɾˈnandes]; born 11 December 1981), better known as El Conejo (The Rabbit), is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. Saviola was renowned for his speed, agility, and goal-scoring ability, which made him a standout player throughout his football career. Since retiring, he has been involved in various roles within the world of football, including advisory work and developing young talent as a coach at Barcelona U19.
He was trained in River Plate's academy and made his debut for the club in 1998. He spent much of his career in Spain, representing both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as having spells with Málaga and Sevilla. He played 196 games and scored 70 goals over the course of eight seasons in La Liga. He also had spells with Monaco, Benfica, Olympiacos, and Verona. He finished his playing career at River Plate in 2016. Saviola won league titles in Argentina, Spain, Portugal and Greece, as well as the UEFA Cup with Sevilla. He was the youngest player on Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004.
An Argentine international for seven years, he made his debut in 2000, representing his country at the 2006 World Cup, as well as the 2004 Copa América, where Argentina reached the final. He also won a gold medal with Argentina at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
