.jpg) Pastore playing forParis Saint-Germain in 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Javier Matías Pastore[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1989-06-20)20 June 1989 (age 36)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Córdoba, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2007 | Talleres | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Talleres | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Huracán | 31 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Palermo | 69 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2018 | Paris Saint-Germain | 186 | (29) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Roma | 30 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Elche | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Qatar SC | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
| Total | 342 | (55) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2017 | Argentina | 29 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
Javier Matías Pastore (Spanish pronunciation:[xaˈβjeɾmaˈti.aspasˈtoɾe]; born 20 June 1989) is an Argentine former professionalfootballer who played as a midfielder.
Anattacking midfielder, Pastore began his club career withTalleres and thenHuracán in his native Argentina before moving toSerie A teamPalermo in 2009 for a reported transfer fee of €4.7 million.[4] In 2011, French sideParis Saint-Germain bought him for a reported €39.8 million.[4] He won numerous domestic honours with the club, including fiveLigue 1 titles, before joiningRoma in 2018, for a fee of €24.7 million.
At international level, Pastore made his senior debut in 2010, and went on to make over 20 appearances for his country. He represented Argentina at the2010 FIFA World Cup, and at three editions of theCopa América, reaching consecutive finals of the latter competition in2015 and2016.
Pastore was born inCórdoba in anItalian-Argentine family originally fromVolvera,Turin.[5] He started his career in the youth system of the Argentine clubTalleres, and slowly worked his way up to the first team. In 2007, he made his debut in theArgentine second division under the wing of managerRicardo Gareca. In 2007, he only managed to play five games.
During the 2008 season, Pastore was loaned toHuracán of theArgentine Primera. He made his professional debut for Huracán on 24 May 2008 in a 1–0 loss withRiver Plate. In the2009 Clausura championship, he established himself as a regular first-team player for the club under the management ofÁngel Cappa. This was his breakthrough tournament, where his side narrowly missed out on the championship title. His performance againstRiver Plate was particularly lauded where he opened the scoring with a 25-yard shot and then scored again with a piece of individual brilliance helping Huracán win 4–0 in the club's biggest win against River Plate in over 60 years. He ended up as the team's top scorer with seven goals and three assists. Pastore and teammateMatías De Federico was integral to Huracán's title challenge that season.
On 11 July 2009Palermo formally announced the signing of Pastore for five years until 30 June 2014, with the transfer fee listed at approximately €4.7 million.[4][6][7] Before his move to Palermo, the player was also linked to number of other top European clubs, includingManchester United,Porto,Milan andChelsea.[8]
Pastore's debut was on 15 August in theCoppa Italia, while his debut inSerie A came eight days later. His breakthrough game was on 4 October againstJuventus, when he assistedEdinson Cavani's goal in a 2–0 win, appearing in all the websites and national newspapers. He scored his first Serie A goal on 30 January 2010 in a 2–4 away defeat toBari. In his first season at Palermo, Pastore proved himself as being a promising but inexperienced youngster, playing mostly as a second-half substitute under head coachesWalter Zenga and, later,Delio Rossi.
Pastore then established himself as a regular under the tutelage of Rossi, playing usually in a role behind the regular striking duo ofFabrizio Miccoli and Edinson Cavani. Thanks to his performances, all praised by fans and pundits, Palermo finished off the season in fifth place, thus qualifying for theUEFA Europa League. In the2010–11 season, on 14 November, Pastore scored his first career hat-trick in a derby match againstCatania.[9] On 30 July 2011, Palermo club presidentMaurizio Zamparini revealed that a fee had been agreed over Javier Pastore's transfer toParis Saint-Germain.[10]
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On 6 August 2011, Paris Saint-Germain formally announced the signing of Pastore, issuing him the number 27 shirt.[11] The transfer fee throughout was €39.8 million.[4] However, due to third-party ownership by his agent Marcelo Simonian, who would receive €12.5 million (not known if it included agent fee or not)[4] Palermo announced through its website that the club received only €22.8 million of the total fee.[12]
Palermo club president Maurizio Zamparini started a legal action over the matter,[4] despite theItalian Football Federation (FIGC) prohibiting any Italian club from forming any ownership agreement with third parties, which Zamparini acknowledged risked a punishment for himself.[13]
Pastore scored his first goal in aLigue 1 match againstBrest in a 1–0 win on 11 September 2011.[14]
During hisfirst season at theParc des Princes, Pastore scored 13 goals in 33league matches. The following year, Pastore appeared in 34 league matches as PSG won the first of four consecutiveLigue 1 titles.[15] He also scored his firstUEFA Champions League goal in a 4–1 win overFC Dynamo Kyiv on 18 September 2012.[16]
In2014–15, Pastore made over 50 appearances and was named in theUNFP team of the season as PSG won an unprecedented domestic quadruple ofLigue 1, theCoupe de France,Coupe de la Ligue and theTrophée des Champions.[15]
Ahead of the2016–17 season, Pastore inherited thenumber 10 shirt from the departingZlatan Ibrahimović, switching from the number 27 shirt.[17] As with2015–16, he missed a large portion of the season through injuries, but returned to the PSG starting line-up forLe Classique against rivalsOlympique de Marseille, where he assistedEdinson Cavani in a 5–1 Ligue 1 away win on 26 February 2017.[18] Three days later, he came on as a substitute and scored the opening goal, before assisting Cavani again as PSG defeatedLigue 2 clubChamois Niortias 2–0 to reach the quarter-final stage of the2016–17 Coupe de France.[19] On 19 March 2017, Pastoreassisted both of PSG's goals bycrossing the ball to the scorersAdrien Rabiot andJulian Draxler in their 2–1 Ligue 1 home win overLyon.[20]
On 17 May 2017, Pastore appeared as a 72nd-minute substitute forJulian Draxler as PSG defeatedAngers 1–0 in the2017 Coupe de France Final.[21]
Before the start of thenext season, he vacated his number 10 jersey to new signingNeymar as a welcome gift and reclaimed his previous number 27 jersey.[22]
On 8 May 2018, he came off the bench as PSG won 2–0 againstLes Herbiers VF to clinch the2017–18Coupe de France.[23]
On 26 June 2018, Pastore signed a five-year contract with Italian sideRoma fromParis Saint-Germain for a reported fee of €24.7m. He was handed the number 27 shirt.[24] He made his club debut in a 1–0 away win overTorino in Serie A on 19 August.[25] He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August, opening the scoring with a back-heeled goal in the second minute of play in an eventual 3–3 home draw againstAtalanta in the league.[26]
On 30 August 2021, he mutually terminated his contract with Roma.[27]
On 4 September 2021, Pastore signed forLa Liga clubElche on a one-year contract.[28]
In January 2023, Pastore announced that his Elche contract had been terminated by mutual consent and he was leaving the club.[29]
On 11 January 2023,Qatar Stars League clubQatar SC announced the signing of free agent Pastore.[30]
On 2 November 2024, Pastore announced that he would retire from professional football before June 2025.[31]
On 10 September 2025, in an interview with a media, Pastore said he had retired and he is preparing to be a sporting director.[32][33]
On 25 May 2010, Pastore was included by Maradona in Argentina's 23-man squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[34] He debuted on 22 June by coming on the pitch in the 77th minute againstGreece, replacingSergio Agüero, ending in a 2–0 victory.[35] AgainstMexico on 27 June, Pastore replacedMaxi Rodríguez in the 87th minute.[36] Pastore was included by managerSergio Batista in Argentina's 23-man squad for the2011 Copa América on home soil.[37] Argentina were eliminated by eventual championsUruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals.[38]
On 31 March 2015, Pastore scored his first senior international goal in a 2–1 friendly victory againstEcuador at theMetLife Stadium, New Jersey.[39] Later that year, Pastore was selected by coachGerardo Martino for the2015 Copa América,[40] and started in the team's opening fixture againstParaguay inLa Serena.[41] At the semi-final stage, Pastore scored the team's second goal and assistedÁngel Di María for the third as Argentina defeated Paraguay 6–1 to reach thetournament final.[42] In the final against hostsChile on 4 July, Pastore came off forÉver Banega in the 81st minute; following a 0–0 draw after extra-time, Chile claimed the title with a 4–1 penalty shoot-out victory.[43]
In 2016, Pastore was included in Argentina's 23-man squad for theCopa América Centenario.[44] Argentina went on to reach thefinal, only to lose out on penalties to Chile once again.[45]
An elegant, creative and technically giftedadvanced playmaker, with excellentdribbling skills and close control, Pastore is capable of playing in several offensive roles, due to his ability to both score andcreate goals. Although he is usually deployed as anattacking midfielder due to his vision, passing and striking ability from distance, he is also capable of functioning as awinger, as asupporting striker or even as aforward, and has also been deployed in more withdrawnmidfield roles on occasion, operating as acentral midfielder, as adeep-lying playmaker, or even as amezzala, due to his work-rate, creativity, skill, and physical attributes, despite his lack of notable pace.[24][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53] A talented, strong, quick and hard-working right-footed player,[48] his playing style has drawn comparisons toKaká,Zinedine Zidane,Zlatan Ibrahimović and one of his childhood idols,Enzo Francescoli, although Pastore has stated that his main influence is compatriotJuan Román Riquelme.[46][54][55][56] Nicknamed "El Flaco" (like Francescoli before him) due to his tall, slender build, he was regarded as a highly promising player as a youngster, and in 2010,Don Balón named him as one of the 100 best young players in the world born after 1988.[46][56][57] Despite his talent, however, he is known to be injury prone, and has also drawn criticism in the media for being inconsistent.[58][59]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Talleres | 2006–07 | Primera B Nacional | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| Huracán | 2007–08 | Argentine Primera División | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | Argentine Primera División | 30 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 8 | ||
| Total | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 8 | |||
| Palermo | 2009–10 | Serie A | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | |
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 35 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 45 | 13 | |
| Total | 69 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 82 | 16 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2011–12 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 43 | 16 |
| 2012–13 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 48 | 9 | |
| 2013–14 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2014–15 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 51 | 6 | |
| 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 3 | |
| 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 25 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 37 | 5 | |
| Total | 186 | 29 | 39 | 10 | 44 | 6 | 269 | 45 | ||
| Roma | 2018–19 | Serie A | 14 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Elche | 2021–22 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| Qatar SC | 2022–23 | Qatar Stars League | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | |
| Career total | 342 | 55 | 50 | 12 | 55 | 7 | 447 | 74 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2010 | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 March 2015 | MetLife Stadium,East Rutherford, United States |  Ecuador | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 30 June 2015 | Estadio Municipal de Concepción,Concepción, Chile |  Paraguay | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2015 Copa América |
Paris Saint-Germain[60]
Argentina
Individual
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Javier Pastore has offered his No.10 jersey to the neo-Parisian Neymar Jr.
Argentina squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
