Savinho, the 'invention' of Girona that has turned LaLiga upside down.
He is 19 years old and is one of the big surprises of this start to LaLiga: a cheeky and effective dribbler who is exciting in Girona
The league:. Girona signs its best start in LaLiga.
He is 19 years old, born in São Mateus (Espírito Santo, Brazil) and in just five days he has already dazzled all Spanish football fans. Sávio Moreira de Oliveira, 'Savinho', is one of the emergences of this start of LaLiga. One goal, two assists and a self-confidence that reconciles you with football to lead Girona to be the great revelation (once again) of the Spanish championship.
"Our squad is spectacular. A great team. We are not missing anything ," Míchel defends at a press conference when asked about his Girona. After the draw against Real Sociedad (1-1) on the first day, the rest of the matches are counted by victories: Getafe, Sevilla, Las Palmas and, finally, Granada. A 2-4 in which Sávio shone with a goal and assist. "We are working to get him to play on the left," he says about the Brazilian. "But players who have quality know that, when the team needs something from them, they have to adapt," he adds.
A total surprise.
But Sávio's is, without a doubt, an unexpected story. Although he was on the radar of the Brazilian youth teams, he had only played with the U16 team and had little prominence at Atlético Mineiro before making the leap to Europe. Understandable, on the other hand, he was still too young. However, in the summer of 2022 the City Football Group bought him for 6 million euros and sent him to the French Troyes.
He never wore the French team shirt. On loan to PSV, he played more in the Second Division with the reserve team than with the first team (two assists in six Eredivisie games)... and from Eindhoven he saw how Troyes was relegated to Ligue 2. Not all City Football Group projects turn out well . That's why he came to Girona. Cededed. And since the preseason he began to shine.
"He can bring a lot of wealth and be a differential footballer ," warned Quique Cárcel, Girona's Sports Director, in the summer, after his arrival. "You have to be patient... but he has a lot of future ahead of him and can give an important performance ," he added, somewhat more cautiously. Well, we didn't have to wait long for Sávio's explosion.
If something defines 'Savinho' it is the nerve to play football. A football that is being lost, a species in danger of extinction. The facing player, the street player. Goodbye to academia, hello to improvisation. Sávio is the second best dribbler so far in LaLiga: 13 completed dribbles. Only Bryan Zaragoza (Granada) improves it.
He is a differential player one against one. He was on our radar and we were very clear that he was going to help us
Míchel, coach of Girona.
"He is a differential player one on one. He was on our radar and we were very clear that he was going to help us. He has an enormous talent that we are going to enjoy," Míchel confirmed to praise, once again, the Brazilian talent that he has among hands. An affection that is reciprocal because one of the keys to Sávio's arrival in Girona was how well Couto and Reinier spoke to him about Míchel as a coach.
Source images: Girona FC Twitter.
367.154 SRY