.jpg) Lavezzi in action forParis Saint-Germain in 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1985-05-03)3 May 1985 (age 40)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Villa Gobernador Gálvez, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward,winger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Coronel Aguirre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Boca Juniors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Estudiantes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Estudiantes | 39 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | San Lorenzo | 84 | (25) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Napoli | 156 | (38) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Paris Saint-Germain | 107 | (22) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Hebei China Fortune | 74 | (35) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 460 | (137) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Argentina U20 | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Argentina Olympic | 10 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2017 | Argentina | 51 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ezequiel Iván "Pocho"Lavezzi (Latin American Spanish:[eseˈkjeliˈβanlaˈβesi,ˈpotʃo-],Italian:[laˈvettsi]; born 3 May 1985) is an Argentine former professionalfootballer who played as aforward. During his career, his most important attributes were his pace, hardworking style of play, technique, creativity, anddribbling ability; although he was usually deployed as awinger, he was also used as asecond striker or as anattacking midfielder on occasion.[2][3]
He began his career atEstudiantes (BA), and after one season was signed byGenoa, who loaned him toSan Lorenzo, where he eventually moved on a permanent basis. In 2007, he was signed byNapoli where he won the2012 Coppa Italia. His performances there earned him a €26.5 million move toParis Saint-Germain in 2012, where he made over 150 appearances for the club and won threeLigue 1 championships, twoCoupes de la Ligue and oneCoupe de France. He finished his career in China, where he played forHebei China Fortune from 2016 to 2019.
Lavezzi represented theArgentina national team from 2007 to 2016. He was part of their team which won an Olympic gold medal in2008, and also helped them reach the finals of the2014 FIFA World Cup, the2015 Copa América and theCopa América Centenario.
Lavezzi moved to the youth side ofEstudiantes (BA) in 2003 where, over one season, he played 39 games and scored 17 goals.[4]
Known asel Pocho ("the Chubby One"),[5] he was bought by Italian sideGenoa in 2004 for €1 million,[4] but was loaned out straight-away to Argentina sideSan Lorenzo.[6] Here at the age of 19, he competed in theApertura 2004 tournament scoring eight goals in total over the course of the season; which saw him finish as 4th top scorer.
Lavezzi's most notable contributions included a spectacular effort againstRiver Plate atRiver Plate Stadium. He scored in the 69th minute to give San Lorenzo a famous victory and seriously damage River's title challenge. This gained him the nicknamela Bestia ("the Beast") from the Argentine media.[4]
Although it was planned for Lavezzi to return to Genoa after a season on loan, there were problems: while Lavezzi was playing in Argentina, Genoa were involved in an alleged match-fixing scandal which saw them relegated down toSerie C1, the third level ofItalian football. Due to financial constraints, the promising forward was sold to San Lorenzo for €1.2 million.[7]
On his return to San Lorenzo for theApertura 2005 season, he managed to help the club up into the top half of the table, and with eight goals, he finished as the overall fourth top scorer. His last act as a San Lorenzo player was to help them to theClausura 2007 title, beating outBoca Juniors by six points.
Napoli had recently achieved promotion back toSerie A, after finishing as runners-up the previous season inSerie B. Looking to strengthen their squad for a return to the top level, Napoli signed Lavezzi on a five-year contract on 5 July 2007.[8] The transfer deal was worth around €6 million and he was presented before the fans and given the number seven shirt for his first season.
Lavezzi soon made an impact for the club by scoring ahat-trick in a 3–1 victory overPisa in theCoppa Italia at theStadio San Paolo; this was the first hat-trick by a Napoli player in 14 years.[9] The first league goal Lavezzi scored for Napoli came during a 5–0 victory againstUdinese on 2 September 2007. After the match, he was described in reports as "inspirational,"[10] with the media proclaiming, "Napoli's star is born."[10] The Neapolitan club hadn't won a league match by such a large margin since 1988, whenDiego Maradona was at the club.[11]
The media, as they tend to do to many promising young Argentine players who appear in Italy, have been quick to dub Lavezzi the "New Maradona".[12][13][14] Lavezzi himself, however, played this down, instead comparing himself to another Argentine player,Carlos Tevez.[15]
He completed the2007–08 season with eight goals in 35 games. He quickly became a focal point of the fans' affection with his quick feet and sharpness around the box. In the2008–09 season, he scored seven goals in 30 games. In the season 2009–10 he scored eight goals in 30 games but missed around 10 games because of injuries. Lavezzi stayed at Napoli for the 2010–11 season but was handed the number 22 jersey after he gave his number seven to recently signed strikerEdinson Cavani as a welcome gesture.[citation needed] In the same season, he scored two goals in theUEFA Europa League, againstIF Elfsborg andLiverpool respectively, scored six and assisted a further 12 in the Serie A, while also finding the back of the net in aCoppa Italia match againstBologna.
Lavezzi scored his first goal of the2011–12 campaign in a commanding 3–1 victory overCesena on 10 September, opening the scoring in the third minute after controlling a long-ball fromHugo Campagnaro.[16] Lavezzi was named "Man of the Match" as he volleyed in a lobbed pass from strike partner Edinson Cavani to send Napoli to a 2–0 victory overUdinese on 26 October.[17] Shortly before the winter break, Lavezzi netted once and provided an assist for one of Cavani's goals as Napoli outclassedLecce 4–2.[18]
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In Napoli's commanding 3–0 victory overFiorentina on 17 February 2012, Lavezzi rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute with a long-range goal.[19] Four days later, he scored his first twoChampions League goals; they came in a 3–1 first leg victory overChelsea in the Round of 16.[20] The following Sunday, on 26 February, Lavezzi scored the only goal of the game as Napoli defeatedInternazionale and climbed up to fifth place in the Serie A standings.[21]
Lavezzi popped up in the 86th minute to score the winning goal againstParma on 4 March 2012, though the result was controversial, as Lavezzi appeared to be in an offside position.[22] Lavezzi netted a penalty and provided an assist as Napoli tore apartCagliari 6–3 on 9 March to warm up for their Round of 16 second leg tie against Chelsea.[23] Lavezzi scored his ninth and final Serie A goal of the season in a 3–1 loss toAtalanta on 11 April after receiving the ball fromGoran Pandev and pushing it past goalkeeperAndrea Consigli.[24]
Lavezzi won his first piece of silverware with Napoli on 20 May 2012 as the club defeatedJuventus 2–0 in theCoppa Italia final.[25] During the match, Lavezzi was fouled in the penalty box by Juventus goalkeeperMarco Storari, and Napoli were awarded a penalty, which Edinson Cavani dispatched to give Napoli their first goal and set the club on their way to their first trophy in more than 20 years.[26]
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On 2 July 2012,Ligue 1 clubParis Saint-Germain confirmed that they had agreed with Napoli to a €26.5 million transfer fee for the rights to Lavezzi and signed him to a four-year deal, reportedly worth up to €30 million.[27]On 11 August, Lavezzi made his PSG debut againstFC Lorient in a 2–2 draw in the opening match of the2012–13 Ligue 1 season.[28] His first two goals for PSG came on 21 November in theChampions League, securing qualification to the Round of 16 with a 0–2 away victory overDynamo Kyiv.[29]
Lavezzi scored his third Champions League goal for PSG on 4 December, netting at the near post ofFC Porto goalkeeperHelton shortly after the hour mark; the 2–1 defeat of the Portuguese champions ensured PSG top spot in the group.[30] His first league goal came four days later, on 8 December, in PSG's 4–0 defeat ofEvian at theParc des Princes.[31] On 11 December, Lavezzi scored PSG's fourth goal, after aZlatan Ibrahimović hat-trick, as the capital club handedValenciennes FC their first home defeat of the season.[32]
On 12 February 2013, Lavezzi scored the opening goal againstValencia CF in the Champions League Round of 16, helping PSG secure a 1–2 first leg away victory.[33] Lavezzi secured the tie, equalizing the game at 1–1 and giving the French side a 3–2 aggregate win, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 1995.[34]
Lavezzi scored the 83rd-minute winner in a 3–2 win atMetz on 21 November 2014 to put PSG into first place inLigue 1 ahead ofMarseille.[35]
In January 2015, Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani were fined and suspended for two matches by PSG managerLaurent Blanc for missing a mid-season training camp in Morocco and the first training session after the break.[36]
On 25 April 2015, Lavezzi scored a hat-trick in PSG's 6–1 defeat ofLille.[37] On 16 May, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win atMontpellier to confirm a third consecutive French league title for Paris Saint-Germain.[38]
On 17 February 2016, Lavezzi signed withHebei China Fortune on a two-year deal where it is reported he would earn £10 million a year.[39] Due to picking up an injury in June 2016 on international duty for Argentina in theCopa América, Lavezzi was restricted to just 10 appearances in his debut season for Hebei China Fortune.
In May 2017, Lavezzi took part in aChinese Super League photo session, in which he pulled his eyes back in one photo, a pose he was reportedly told to perform by the cameraman present. This prompted a huge backlash on social media, with Chinese people and others accusing Lavezzi of racism. Lavezzi later apologized for this incident.[40][41]
On 27 November 2019, Lavezzi scored his last goal for the club in a 3–1 loss againstGuangzhou Evergrande. He announced his retirement shortly after the match.[42]
Lavezzi debuted for theArgentina national football team in a friendly match againstChile on 18 April 2007.[43] In 2008, he was selected to theOlympic football team, which represented Argentina at the2008 Olympics.[44] During the Olympic games, Lavezzi scored two goals, one againstAustralia on 10 August and a penalty againstSerbia on 13 August.[45] He also appeared in the final minutes of extra time of the gold medal match againstNigeria, which Argentina won 1–0.[46]
Lavezzi's club form was not enough to see him included inDiego Maradona's2010 FIFA World Cup squad, a surprise exclusion along withNewcastle United defenderFabricio Coloccini.[47] On 17 November 2010, Argentina facedBrazil in a friendly match in Qatar, in which Argentina won by a goal fromLionel Messi in injury time after a superb one-two play with Lavezzi.[48] He was named in Argentina's2011 Copa América squad by Batista.[49] In Argentina's final pre-tournament warm-up game on 21 June 2011, he scored the opening goal in a friendly match played againstAlbania, the match ended 4–0 in favour of Argentina and was Lavezzi's first goal for the national side.[50] In the final tournament on home soil, Lavezzi made three appearances in the group stage,[51] but was suspended for the quarter-final match,[52] in which the hosts were knocked out by the eventual championsUruguay on penalties.[53]
Lavezzi was chosen by new managerAlejandro Sabella for Argentina's 23-man2014 FIFA World Cup squad. He made six appearances throughout the tournament,[54] setting upMessi's match-winning goal againstIran after coming off the bench,[55][unreliable source?] as well asRojo's goal against Nigeria.[56] In thefinal againstGermany he set up a goal forHiguaín, but it was correctly ruled off-side; Lavezzi was replaced bySergio Agüero at half-time, and Argentina were defeated 1–0 in extra time.[57] Lavezzi was a member of the Argentina squad that reached the final of the2015 Copa América, only to be defeated by hosts Chile on penalties.[58]
In May 2016, Lavezzi was included inGerardo Martino's final 23-man Argentina squad for theCopa América Centenario.[59] He made his first start of the tournament in Argentina's final group match againstBolivia on 14 June, scoring a goal and setting up another in a 3–0 victory;[60] he was namedMan of the Match.[61] In the semi-finals of the tournament, a 4–0 victory against the hostsUnited States, Lavezzi opened the scoring in the third minute of play and later set upGonzalo Higuaín's first goal, but broke his left elbow after he tumbled over the advertisement boarding while chasing the ball.[62] Due to this injury he was ruled out of thefinal against Chile where Argentina were defeated 2–4 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time.[63]
Lavezzi is known for his pace, acceleration, energy, sturdy physique, movement, and hardworking style of play, as well as his technique, creativity, quick feet,dribbling ability, and sharpness around the box; he is also a good shooter.ESPN has described Lavezzi as being "excellent at roaming and finding space in the gap between the opposition's midfield and defence. He has excellent pace andcrossing ability and is also adept at beating an opponent or drawing a foul in dangerous areas. He is considered a quality player physically, tactically and technically."[14][15][64][65] A versatile forward, although he is usually deployed as awinger on either flank, due to his ability with either foot, he has also been used as asecond striker or as anattacking midfielder on occasion, due to his ability to both score goals and create chances for his teammates.[2][3][66][67] He has also been used as acentre-forward, in a role which is known as acentravanti di manovra in Italian football jargon (literally "maneuvering centre-forward"), which is similar to the modernfalse 9 role, due to his ability to drop deep and open up defences.[68] In spite of his skill and abilities as a footballer, he has been accused of being overly temperamental on the pitch at times, and has been criticised for arguing with officials.[5]
Lavezzi is of Italian origin, fromPavia.[69] He isCatholic and has a tattoo ofJesus on his chest, a tattoo of theVirgin Mary on his right arm and a tattoo of a pair ofrosary beads on his right abdomen.[70][71]
Lavezzi has been married twice: with Débora, with whom he has a son, Tomás (born 2006);[72] and with Yanina Screpante.[73] He later dated Natalia Borges until 2022.[74] He is currently in a relationship with María Guadalupe Tauro, with whom he had a second son, Vittorio (born July 2024).[72][74]
Lavezzi's nephewAgustín is also a professional footballer.[75]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Estudiantes (BA) | 2003–04 | Primera B | 39 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 39 | 17 | ||||
| San Lorenzo | 2004–05 | Primera División | 29 | 9 | — | — | 9 | 0 | — | 37 | 9 | |||
| 2005–06 | 22 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 9 | ||||||
| 2006–07 | 33 | 7 | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | 38 | 8 | |||||
| Total | 84 | 25 | — | — | 14 | 1 | — | 97 | 26 | |||||
| Napoli | 2007–08 | Serie A | 35 | 8 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | 40 | 11 | |||
| 2008–09 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 8 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 31 | 9 | |||||
| 2010–11 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 41 | 9 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | — | 42 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 156 | 38 | 12 | 5 | — | 20 | 5 | — | 188 | 48 | ||||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 5 | — | 42 | 11 | |
| 2013–14 | 32 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1[a] | 0 | 48 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | 31 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 9 | ||
| 2015–16 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||
| Total | 107 | 22 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 161 | 35 | ||
| Hebei China Fortune | 2016 | Super League | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | 27 | 20 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 20 | |||||
| 2018 | 26 | 12 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 12 | |||||
| 2019 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 74 | 35 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 75 | 35 | |||||
| Career total | 460 | 137 | 24 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 65 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 560 | 161 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 2 | |
| Total | 51 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 June 2011 | Estadio Monumental,Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Albania | 1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 November 2011 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Bolivia | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 11 October 2013 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Peru | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 2–1 | |||||
| 5 | 4 September 2015 | BBVA Compass Stadium,Houston, United States | Bolivia | 1–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 3–0 | |||||
| 7 | 13 November 2015 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Brazil | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 14 June 2016 | CenturyLink Field,Seattle, United States | Bolivia | 2–0 | 3–0 | Copa América Centenario |
| 9 | 21 June 2016 | NRG Stadium, Houston, United States |  United States | 1–0 | 4–0 |
San Lorenzo[78]
Napoli[78]
Paris Saint-Germain[78]
Argentina[78]
Argentina squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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