Nicknamed El Conejo ("The Rabbit"), he made his debut for Argentine side River Plate at the age of 16, and went on to be a prolific goalscorer and develop a reputation as a phenomenal prospect, being named South American Footballer of the Year in 1999.
Saviola starred in the 2001 edition of the World Youth Cup, held in (and won by) Argentina. He was top scorer and was voted player of the tournament. He also achieved at that tournament the record of top scorer of all the World Youth Cups played up to date. That summer, he moved on to FC Barcelona where he had two irregular seasons, as coaches (Louis Van Gaal and later Frank Rijkaard) were not impressed with his abilities, and did not allow Saviola to become a staple of the team. He obtained the Spanish citizenship, and therefore doesn't make use of the few extracomunitary places.
In the summer of 2004, Saviola was transferred, on loan, to AS Monaco FC of the French league. Due to Rijkaard's lack of interest on him, Saviola was again transferred on loan in the summer of 2005, this time to Sevilla FC, to replace Julio Baptista who moved to Real Madrid. On May 2006, Saviola conquered with Sevilla the 2006 UEFA Cup.
Saviola played in the 2004 Olympic Games and won the Olympic Gold Medal with the Argentine squad. Under coach Marcelo Bielsa, Saviola had few playing opportunities for Argentina, but after Bielsa's resignation in 2004, new coach José Pekerman has given Saviola more play.
Saviola has been called up to represent Argentina at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals , alongside Hernán Crespo, Lionel Messi, Carlos Tévez and Julio Cruz. Luciano Figueroa and Luciano Galletti were in contention for a place on the roster but Saviola's excellent form towards the end of the 2005-06 season secured his place in the squad.
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