Javier Saviola

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Gold medal	2004 Athens	Football Men's Team Competition

Javier Pedro Saviola (born December 11, 1981 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine football player.

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.

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In the summer of 2004, Saviola was transferred, on loan, to AS Monaco FC of the French league. As Rijkaard indicated no interest, Saviola was again transferred on loan in the summer of 2005, this time to Sevilla FC, to replace Julio Baptista who was transferred to Real Madrid.

Saviola played in the 2004 Olympic Games and won the Olympic Gold Medal with the Argentine squad.

Under coach Marcelo Bielsa, Saviola had few playing opportunities for Argentina, but after Bielsa's resignation in 2004, new coach José Pekerman has given Saviola more play.

For World Cup 2006, Saviola's place in the offensive line is not secure, as Hernán Crespo and Lionel Messi are poised to be the opening duo, with Luciano Figueroa, Luciano Galletti and maybe Carlos Tévez and Julio Cruz in contention for a place on the roster.

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