Javier Pedro Saviola Fernandez (Spanish pronunciation: [xa'bjer 'pedro sa'bjola fer'nandes]; born 11 December 1981) is a retired Argentine professional footballer who played as a forward. Known for his speed, dribbling and ability to score from almost any attacking position on the field, he represented both Barcelona and Real Madrid and was named as the youngest player on Pele's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers in 2004. Due to his ancestry he also holds Spanish nationality since 2004, and he amassed La Liga totals of 196 games and 70 goals over the course of eight seasons; he started and finished his career at River Plate. An Argentine international for seven years, Saviola represented his country at the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Copa America, where his team reached the final.

On 26 June 2009, S.L. Benfica and Real Madrid agreed on a EUR5 million deal that would see Saviola play in Portugal for the next three years, with an option for one more; a EUR30 million clause was added. He scored his first goal for the club on a penalty in a friendly match against FC Sion and, on 16 July, netted twice to send his team into the Guadiana Trophy finals.  On 22 October 2009, Saviola scored two goals for Benfica, guiding them to a 5-0 victory over Everton for the UEFA Europa League (he would also score in the club's 2-0 win in Liverpool in the second match), adding another brace four days later in a 6-1 routing of C.D. Nacional for the Primeira Liga.  On 6 December 2009, Saviola scored through a chip shot against Academica de Coimbra in a 4-0 home win. On 20 December he netted the game's only goal as Benfica defeated rivals FC Porto at home; during the victorious campaign, he formed a deadly offensive partnership with Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo, with the pair combining for more than 50 goals overall.  On 3 January 2010, after receiving the Portuguese Liga Player of the Month award, Saviola scored another winning goal against Nacional, again being the game's only scorer in an away defeat of Rio Ave FC, netting in the 46th minute. He netted his 19th goal overall in a 3-1 home triumph against F.C. Pacos de Ferreira on 7 March, and Benfica were eventually crowned league champions after a five-year wait.

How long did he play?