Javier Saviola….
With the news of Klass Jan Huntelaar joining Real Madrid my mind drifted towards Javier Saviola and my first reaction was to shake my head over how his career has gone largely unfulfilled at this point.
When Saviola was coming through River Plate in the late 90′s he was labeled a can’t miss kid. Despite being named by Pele of one of FIFA’s 100 greatest players (which is a list of 125 players, only Pele could get away with something so absurd.) Saviola promise has never gone beyond just that, promise.
Saviola was at a crossroads in his career in the summer of 2007. He’d been let go by Barcelona and was now a free agent. This was the best chance for Saviola to kick start his career again and what does he do but signs a deal with Real Madrid. I’m all for a player making the most money he can during his career but Saviola trapped himself by going to Real Madrid. It’s one thing when your a world class player like Luis Figo who the Real Madrid fans didn’t warm up to at first, it’s another when you are considered a Barcelona cast off coming off the bench infrequently. Besides Saviola was going to a Real Madrid team that featured Raul, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robinho, Julio Batista, and Roberto Soldado
up front. Surely first team chances were going to be limited.
With the injuries to several Real Madrid first team players this year Saviola is now seeing some playing time. Against Getafe on the weekend Saviola goal was a thing of beauty, breaking through two defenders and ripping the ball to the top corner. Right after that goal my mind kept thinking what it has always been thinking for the last couple of years and that is what if Saviola found the right team at the right time?