Sávio Bortolini Pimentel (born 9 January 1974), known simply as Sávio (), is a Brazilian retired
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
left winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
Known as ''"Anjo Loiro"'' ("Blonde Angel") and ''"Diabo Loiro"'' ("Blonde Devil"), he played most of his professional career in Spain, being a part of
Real Madrid's setup during four-and-a-half seasons and appearing in more than 300 official games with four teams.
A
Brazilian international in the mid/late 1990s, Sávio represented the nation in the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
.
Club career
Flamengo / Real Madrid
Born in
Vila Velha
Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal city in Espírito Santo, Brazil. It lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 501,325 (2020) and its area is 210.23 km².
Location
Vila Velha forms part of t ...
,
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...
, Sávio started his footballing career at the
Desportiva Capixaba youth team. Still as a junior he was transferred to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
's
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, where he made his professional debut –– he was hailed as the new
Zico by the fans and the press due to his footballing ability, but also due to his frail physique.
In 1995, as part of Flamengo's centennial celebrations, Sávio teamed up with the volatile
Romário and
Edmundo. After clashing with the former he was transferred to
Real Madrid in 1998, helping the
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
powerhouse to three
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
titles and the
2001 national championship; in the
2002–03 season he served a loan stint in France, at
FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
Zaragoza / Flamengo
In the following season, Sávio returned to Spain and was one of the most important players in
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at L ...
, for which he played three years. In
his first the
Aragonese
won the
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
, precisely against Real Madrid; in
the second
''The Second'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, " Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the orig ...
, he scored a career-best ten league goals.
In May 2006, Sávio returned to Brazil and Flamengo on a
free transfer, signing a contract until December 2007. However, on 5 January of the following year, it was announced that he would be transferred to
Real Sociedad also in Spain, for which he played his first league game on the 21st against
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...
; in late June, after the
Basques'
relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
, he joined fellow league team
Levante UD, and played there until January of the following year, leaving as many teammates due to unpaid wages.
Later years
After a spell back in Brazil with his very first club, Desportiva Capixaba, Sávio signed in August 2008 with
Cypriot
Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus.
* Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes:
**Armenian Cypriots
**Greek Cypriots
**Maronite Cypriots
**Turkish C ...
side
Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Anorthosis Famagusta ( el, Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου, translit=Anorthosi Ammochostou), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club fo ...
, appearing with them in the
2008–09 Champions League. In January 2010 the 36-year-old returned to his country, joining
Avaí Futebol Clube.
After a few months with the
Santa Catarina club, Sávio retired at the end of 2010.
Career statistics
Club
*
1 Including 1 match in
1998 Intercontinental Cup
The 1998 Intercontinental Cup was an association football match played on 1 December 1998 between Real Madrid, winners of the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League, and Vasco da Gama, winners of the 1998 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at a neu ...
, 1 match in
1998 UEFA Super Cup
The 1998 UEFA Super Cup was a football match that was played on 28 August 1998 at Stade Louis II, Monaco, contested between Champions League winners Real Madrid and Cup Winners' Cup holders Chelsea. Neither team had previously won the trophy. ...
.
*
2 Including 4 matches and 1 goal in
2000 FIFA Club World Championship
The 2000 FIFA Club World Championship was the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup, the world club championship for men's club association football teams. It took place in Brazil from 5 January to 14 January 2000. FIFA as football's international gover ...
.
*
3 Including 1 match in
2000 Intercontinental Cup
The 2000 Intercontinental Cup, officially the 2000 Toyota European / South American Cup for sponsorship reasons, was an association football match played on 28 November 2000 between Real Madrid, winners of the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League ...
, 1 match in
2000 UEFA Super Cup
The 2000 UEFA Super Cup was a football match played on 25 August 2000 between Real Madrid of Spain and Galatasaray of Turkey. Real Madrid qualified by beating Valencia in the 2000 UEFA Champions League Final, while Galatasaray had made it to the ...
.
*
4 Including 1 match in
2001 Supercopa de España.
International career
Never a part of any
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
finals squad, Sávio did however play with
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
at the
1995 Copa América
The 1995 Copa América football tournament was staged in Uruguay. It was won by Uruguay, who beat Brazil 5–3 in the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw in the final. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, with Mexico and the United States invite ...
, where the nation lost the final to
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
on
penalties. He also
won the
bronze medal in the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, going on to collect a total of 21 full
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
with four goals.
Honours
Club
;Flamengo
*
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A:
1992
*
Campeonato Carioca: 1996
*
Copa de Oro:
1996
*
Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de P ...
:
2006
;Real Madrid
*
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
:
2000–01
*
Supercopa de España:
2001
*
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
:
1997–98,
1999–2000,
2001–02
*
Intercontinental Cup:
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
*
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...
:
2002
;Zaragoza
*
Copa del Rey
The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
:
2003–04; Runner-up
2005–06
*
Supercopa de España:
2004
;Desportiva Capixaba
*
Copa Espírito Santo
The Copa ES, or Copa Espírito Santo () is a competition contested in the second semester of the year, by Espírito Santo state teams, to determine a spot in the following year's Copa do Brasil and Copa Verde
The Copa Verde ( en, Green Cup) is ...
: 2008
;Avaí
*
Campeonato Catarinense
The Campeonato Catarinense de Futebol, known as Campeonato Catarinense or simply Catarinense, is the main competition of association football from state of Santa Catarina, in Brazil.
History
The Campeonato Catarinense top level has had several ...
: 2010
International
;Brazil
*
Summer Olympic Games:
Bronze medal 1996
Individual
*
Copa de Oro: Top Scorer
1996
References
External links
*
Brazilian FA Database
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savio
1974 births
Living people
People from Vila Velha
Brazilian people of French descent
Brazilian people of Italian descent
Brazilian footballers
Association football wingers
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players
Desportiva Ferroviária players
CR Flamengo footballers
Avaí FC players
La Liga players
Real Madrid CF players
Real Zaragoza players
Real Sociedad footballers
Levante UD footballers
Ligue 1 players
FC Girondins de Bordeaux players
Cypriot First Division players
Anorthosis Famagusta F.C. players
Brazil international footballers
Olympic footballers of Brazil
Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for Brazil
Olympic medalists in football
Brazilian expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Expatriate footballers in France
Expatriate footballers in Cyprus
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
UEFA Champions League winning players
1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
Sportspeople from Espírito Santo