Edinson Cavani

Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Argentine Primera División club Boca Juniors.

In the first match, which was held on Romanian soil, he had scored an equalising goal in the 97th minute.

Cavani began his career playing for Danubio in Montevideo, where he played for two years, before moving to Italian side Palermo in 2007.

After his breakthrough at the 2007 South American Youth Championship, several big teams were reportedly interested in signing Cavani, including Juventus and Milan.

On 29 January 2007, however, Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini announced the signing of the promising Uruguayan.

The bid was officially confirmed on 31 January for €4.475 million.

Cavani made his debut on 11 March 2007 in a home league match against Fiorentina, coming on in the 55th minute with his team 1–0 down and scoring an impressive equaliser only 15 minutes later, a goal reminiscent of Marco van Basten's strike in the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final.

In his second season with the Rosanero, Cavani found himself fighting for a first team place with Fabrizio Miccoli and Amauri.

Cavani scored on his Uruguay debut against Colombia in 2008, and has since then earned 136 caps and scored 58 international goals, only behind strike partner Luis Suárez among Uruguayan internationals.

After Amauri's departure to Juventus in June 2008, Cavani cemented his place in the starting line-up, forming a striking partnership with Fabrizio Miccoli and scoring a total 14 goals in the 2008–09 season, earning the nickname "El Matador" due to his composure in front of goal.

He retained his place for the 2009–10 season under new boss Walter Zenga, and also under successor Delio Rossi, being instrumental in the team's successful run in Serie A which took Palermo to European qualification and potential qualification to the UEFA Champions League with two games remaining.

In 2010, Cavani signed for Napoli, who signed him on an initial loan deal before buying him for a total fee of €17 million.

He has participated in ten major international tournaments: four FIFA World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022), five Copas América (2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021), and one FIFA Confederations Cup (2013).

Cavani scored at the 2010 World Cup to help Uruguay to fourth place in the tournament, and in 2011 was part of the Uruguay squad that won a record fifteenth Copa América title.

In April 2010, he signed a new contract with Palermo valid to June 2014.

In July 2010, Cavani signed for Napoli.

The transfer, however, was a loan of €5 million plus an option/obligation to buy outright for €12 million, which made the total fee €17 million.

After debuting for Napoli as a substitute in the previous game, Cavani scored twice in his first start, as Napoli beat Elfsborg in the UEFA Europa League 2–0 and qualified for the main tournament.

He then started his Serie A tenure with Napoli scoring a controversial goal against Fiorentina after just seven minutes, with replays showing the ball landing on the line.

Cavani also scored on his home debut against Bari before adding a late winner against Sampdoria, meaning he had scored in his first four competitive matches with Napoli.

On 26 September, Cavani came on as a late replacement with 30 minutes left in a game against Cesena which Napoli was losing 1–0.

After assisting the equalising goal, he went on to score two more, with the scoreline finishing at 4–1.

That meant Cavani shared the lead as top scorer in the league alongside Internazionale's Samuel Eto'o.

Cavani's partnership with fellow forwards Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamšík led the Italian sporting media to dub them "The Three Tenors" after the famous singing group of the same name.

On 9 January 2011, Cavani scored a hat-trick during a 3–0 win over Juventus, the third goal coming by way of a diving header.

On 30 January, Cavani scored another hat-trick, this time in a 4–0 win over Sampdoria.

Cavani continued his fine form scoring a brace against Roma, with Napoli winning 2–0.

On 20 March, Cavani scored another brace against Cagliari in a 2–1 win.

This win kept them within three points of leaders Milan with eight games left.

On 3 April, Cavani scored yet another hat-trick in a 4–3 comeback win over Lazio, having been 2–0 and 3–2 down during the game.

He helped them win the Coppa Italia in 2012 and established himself as the most dominant striker in Serie A.

During his time in Serie A, Cavani was named in the Serie A Team of the Year three times and was Serie A top scorer in the 2012–13 season.

In mid-2013, Cavani joined Paris Saint-Germain in France for a reported €64 million, at the time the most expensive signing in French football history.

With PSG, Cavani won six Ligue 1 titles, five Coupes de la Ligue and four Coupes de France.

He also ranks as the club's second all-time top goalscorer.

On 15 December, Cavani netted a 92nd-minute goal against Steaua București to help his team to a 1–0 win and progress beyond the group stage of the Europa League.

During his time in Ligue 1, he was named in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year three times, was awarded Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the 2016–17 season, and was the league's top scorer in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons.

He finished as the CONMEBOL 2018 World Cup qualification top scorer with ten goals.

He was awarded the Golden Foot in 2018 for his achievements in football.

In 2020, Cavani signed with Manchester United, scoring 17 goals in his first season, including a goal in the UEFA Europa League final, before signing for Valencia in 2022.