Javier Saviola and River Plate

JAVIER SAVIOLA AND RIVER PLATE

Saviola was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He made his debut for Argentine side River Plate at the age of 16, and went on to be a prolific goalscorer and develop a reputation as a phenomenal prospect.

Saviola starred in the 2001 edition of the World Youth Cup, held in (and won by) Argentina. He was top scorer and was voted player of the tournament. He also achieved at that tournament the record of top scorer of all the World Youth Cups played up to today. That summer, he moved on to FC Barcelona where he had two irregular seasons, as coaches (Louis Van Gaal and later Frank Rijkaard) were not impressed with his abilities, and did not allow Saviola to become a staple of the team.