Approaching an age many would argue to a prime, Saviola needs to reacquaint himself with the basic need of regular first-team action before he can plot his arrival back on the international stage. Over a decade ago, Saviola made his professional debut for River Plate and had reached dizzying heights at the very naïve age of 19. Nobody would have dared predict such a rapid ascendancy to stardom – neither would such a dramatic fall from fame have been anticipated. Here was an exciting, young striker with limitless potential and a rare potency from almost any position, finishing at the peak of the goalscoring charts in the Argentine Primera Division - River Plate’s prized possession led them to glory in the championship. Virtuous displays swayed the heads of European giants in the direction of South America, and a move to Barcelona was signed, sealed and delivered at the FIFA U20 World Cup – the tournament which announced Saviola’s arrival on the international stage. Eleven goals in seven matches proclaimed him as the record goalscorer in World Youth Cup history and Argentina won in rapturous style.
Leaving Buenos Aires with a new-found glorious reputation, Barcelona fans were quick to show their delight of the new signing, dubbed as the ‘New Maradona’, as shirt sales bearing Saviola’s name soared. The hype however, for whatever given reason, failed to elate beyond his first season at the Nou Camp as Saviola failed to sustain his position in the starting eleven and was forever embattled in a losing fight to stay there – but by no means was it down to a lacklustre goalscoring record, an aspect of his career he could never be accused of. Three initial seasons at Barcelona boasted a healthy 44 goals in 105 matches but a loan move to Monaco was agreed for 2004/2005. 12 months had swiftly passed before Barcelona again opted to shun the services of the Argentine, sending him to Sevilla under the guidance of Juande Ramos. Goals in the league came at a strike rate of around one in every three, a very respectable figure but it was in European competition where he thrived - four goals in seven Champions League appearances for Monaco and 5 in Sevilla’s victorious UEFA Cup campaign. Returning for a spell on the bench with Barcelona was a clear indication that he was never going to fit into their plans despite retaining an able forward’s touch and prowess when he was infrequently called upon. Barcelona, having declared their interest in bringing further firepower for the upcoming season, signified their lack of desire to retain Saviola by offering a contract extension of an insulting nature, which would have halved his salary.
The perfect situation arose when Saviola ran down his contract at Barcelona and was thereby eligible to move to any interested club on a free transfer. With the knowledge that prolonged spells on the bench result in anything other than a footballer’s career being stunted, the choice of Real Madrid as his next club was naturally all the more surprising – and assumingly regretful. Did the temptation of a €2.5 million per-season contract prove too great to resist?
There was every hope that Real Madrid could give flight to Saviola’s ambitions, starting with the competitive fight for places and with genuine optimism about the future – one he had hoped would resemble more than a mere squad number. "I have great hopes, to play a lot, to move forward and succeed here". Hopes of breaking apart the partnership of Raul and Van Nistelrooy in the Spanish capital, though, fell confounded and ended in the same vein as the expectations of him replacing Samuel Eto’o at Barca. Despite an array of beautiful clubs to his honour, Saviola found that any hopes of consecutive starts were once again written off and the bitter reality demonstrated he had never been further away from a much-desired starting eleven place.
His CV may boast the global powerhouses of River Plate, Barcelona and Real Madrid, but another La Liga winner’s medal is not the antidote needed to revive his flailing career. At Real Madrid, even the position of ‘squad player’ seems to have overlooked him as another former River Plate striker Gonzalo Higuain has surpassed him in the pecking order. Looking back in years to come, Saviola could sport prestigious medals left, right and centre but deep inside he will have contributed rarely to them and there will be a sense of remorse unless the situation soon changes. The timing has never been more critical for him to wave goodbye to life at the Santiago Bernabeu, before he becomes entailed in complete anonymity.
Unless there is a staggering change in thought amongst Bernd Schuster and the Real Madrid management team, Saviola will be celebrating his 27th birthday in December with the familiar routine of watching from the sidelines. His feet may well and truly cemented to the Real bench, but the best Christmas gift for the former marvel would be to pack his bags and depart from Madrid to any destination who seek the services of a talented frontman. Even the most deluded optimist would struggle to visualise Saviola in a Real jersey for the forthcoming seasons.
Real Madrid may finance a lavish lifestyle for Saviola, and there are few other clubs in the world who possess the same glitz and glam, but a transfer to an aspiring, adoring UEFA Cup outfit would be a match made in heaven for all concerned – it would be Javier’s saviour. The Rabbit needs to dig deep if he wants to sparkle again, which is only remotely possible away from the starry lights of the Spanish capital.
2 comments:
good article. I always wondered what happened to the wonderkid that was Saviola. I hope he moves somewhere where his striking ability will be seen and used. What league do you think fits him? Should he stay in La Liga or go somewhere else like Germany or England?
I think he may end up in Argentina before long.
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