Javier Pastore

Summary

Javier Matías Pastore (Spanish pronunciation: [xaˈβjeɾ maˈti.as pasˈtoɾe]; born 20 June 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC.

Javier Pastore
Pastore playing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2015
Personal information
Full name Javier Matías Pastore[1]
Date of birth (1989-06-20) 20 June 1989 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Córdoba, Argentina
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
Qatar SC
Number 7
Youth career
2002–2007 Talleres
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 Talleres 5 (0)
2008–2009 Huracán 31 (8)
2009–2011 Palermo 69 (14)
2011–2018 Paris Saint-Germain 186 (29)
2018–2021 Roma 30 (3)
2021–2023 Elche 14 (0)
2023– Qatar SC 7 (1)
International career
2010–2017 Argentina 29 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Argentina
Copa América
Runner-up 2015 Chile
Runner-up 2016 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:39, 22 August 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 September 2017

Pastore began his club career with Talleres and then Huracán in his native Argentina before moving to Serie A team Palermo in 2009 for a reported transfer fee of €4.7 million.[3] In 2011, French side Paris Saint-Germain bought him for a reported €39.8 million.[3] He won numerous domestic honours with the club, including five Ligue 1 titles, before joining Roma in 2018, for a fee of €24.7 million.

At international level, Pastore made his senior debut in 2010, and went on to make over 20 appearances for his country. He represented Argentina at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and at three editions of the Copa América, reaching consecutive finals of the latter competition in 2015 and 2016.

Club career edit

Early life edit

Pastore was born in Córdoba in an Italian-Argentine family originally from Volvera, Turin.[4] He started his career in the youth system of the Argentine club Talleres, and slowly worked his way up to the first team. In 2007, he made his debut in the Argentine second division under the wing of manager Ricardo Gareca. In 2007, he only managed to play five games.

Huracán edit

During the 2008 season, Pastore was loaned to Huracán of the Argentine Primera. He made his professional debut for Huracán on 24 May 2008 in a 1–0 loss with River Plate. In the 2009 Clausura championship, he established himself as a regular first-team player for the club under the management of Ángel Cappa. This was his breakthrough tournament, where his side narrowly missed out on the championship title. His performance against River Plate was particularly lauded where he opened the scoring with a 25-yard shot and then scored again with a piece of individual brilliance helping Huracán win 4–0 in the club's biggest win against River Plate in over 60 years. He ended up as the team's top scorer with seven goals and three assists. Pastore and teammate Matías De Federico was integral to Huracán's title challenge that season.

Palermo edit

On 11 July 2009 Palermo formally announced the signing of Pastore for five years until 30 June 2014, with the transfer fee listed at approximately €4.7 million.[3][5][6] Before his move to Palermo, the player was also linked to number of other top European clubs, including Manchester United, Porto, Milan and Chelsea.[7]

Pastore's debut was on 15 August in the Coppa Italia, while his debut in Serie A came eight days later. His breakthrough game was on 4 October against Juventus, when he assisted Edinson Cavani's goal in a 2–0 win, appearing in all the websites and national newspapers. He scored his first Serie A goal on 30 January 2010 in a 2–4 away defeat to Bari. In his first season at Palermo, Pastore proved himself as being a promising but inexperienced youngster, playing mostly as a second-half substitute under head coaches Walter Zenga and, later, Delio Rossi.

Pastore then established himself as a regular under the tutelage of Rossi, playing usually in a role behind the regular striking duo of Fabrizio Miccoli and Edinson Cavani. Thanks to his performances, all praised by fans and pundits, Palermo finished off the season in fifth place, thus qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. In the 2010–11 season, on 14 November, Pastore scored his first career hat-trick in a derby match against Catania.[8] On 30 July 2011, Palermo club president Maurizio Zamparini revealed that a fee had been agreed over Javier Pastore's transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.[9]

Paris Saint-Germain edit

 
Pastore with PSG in August 2011
 
Pastore playing against Chelsea in UCL

On 6 August 2011, Paris Saint-Germain formally announced the signing of Pastore, issuing him the number 27 shirt.[10] The transfer fee throughout was €39.8 million.[3] However, due to third-party ownership by his agent Marcelo Simonian, who would receive €12.5 million (not known if it included agent fee or not)[3] Palermo announced through its website that the club received only €22.8 million of the total fee.[11]

Palermo club president Maurizio Zamparini had started a legal action over the matter,[3] despite the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) prohibiting any Italian club from forming any ownership agreement with third parties, which Zamparini acknowledged risked a punishment for himself.[12]

Pastore scored his first goal in a Ligue 1 match against Brest in a 1–0 win on 11 September 2011.[13]

During his first season at the Parc des Princes, Pastore scored 13 goals in 33 league matches. The following year, Pastore appeared in 34 league matches as PSG won the first of four consecutive Ligue 1 titles.[14] He also scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 4–1 win over FC Dynamo Kyiv on 18 September 2012.[15]

In 2014–15, Pastore made over 50 appearances and was named in the UNFP team of the season as PSG won an unprecedented domestic quadruple of Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue and the Trophée des Champions.[14]

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Pastore inherited the number 10 shirt from the departing Zlatan Ibrahimović, switching from the number 27 shirt.[16] As with 2015–16, he missed a large portion of the season through injuries, but returned to the PSG starting line-up for Le Classique against rivals Olympique de Marseille, where he assisted Edinson Cavani in a 5–1 Ligue 1 away win on 26 February 2017.[17] Three days later, he came on as a substitute and scored the opening goal, before assisting Cavani again as PSG defeated Ligue 2 club Chamois Niortias 2–0 to reach the quarter-final stage of the 2016–17 Coupe de France.[18] On 19 March 2017, Pastore assisted both of PSG's goals by crossing the ball to the scorers Adrien Rabiot and Julian Draxler in their 2–1 Ligue 1 home win over Lyon.[19]

On 17 May 2017, Pastore appeared as a 72nd-minute substitute for Julian Draxler as PSG defeated Angers 1–0 in the 2017 Coupe de France Final.[20]

Before the start of the next season, he vacated his number 10 jersey to new signing Neymar as a welcome gift and reclaimed his previous number 27 jersey.[21]

On 8 May 2018, he came off the bench as PSG won 2–0 against Les Herbiers VF to clinch the 2017–18 Coupe de France.[22]

Roma edit

On 26 June 2018, Pastore signed a five-year contract with Italian side Roma from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported fee of €24.7m. He was handed the number 27 shirt.[23] He made his club debut in a 1–0 away win over Torino in Serie A on 19 August.[24] He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August, opening the scoring with a back-heeled goal in the second minute of play in an eventual 3–3 home draw against Atalanta in the league.[25]

On 30 August 2021, he mutually terminated his contract with Roma.[26]

Elche edit

On 4 September 2021, Pastore signed for La Liga club Elche on a one-year contract.[27]

In January 2023, Pastore announced that his Elche contract had been terminated by mutual consent and he was leaving the club.[28]

Qatar SC edit

On 11 January 2023, Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC announced the signing of free agent Pastore.[29]

International career edit

Following a string of good performances in his first season in Serie A, Argentina head coach Diego Maradona called up Pastore for an unofficial friendly match against the Catalonia "national" team on 22 December 2009. Pastore made his debut as a second-half substitute, scoring a goal in the process. Since the match was not a FIFA-recognized representative game, however, Pastore did not receive a cap.

Pastore was subsequently called up by Maradona again for a friendly game against Germany, but did not make an appearance. His official debut was against Canada on 25 May 2010, and he was subsequently included by Maradona in Argentina's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[30] On 22 June, he made his FIFA World Cup debut when he came on the pitch in the 77th minute against Greece, replacing Sergio Agüero. Argentina won the match 2–0.[31] On 27 June, he was again substituted on against Mexico in the 87th minute, this time replacing Maxi Rodríguez. Argentina won the match 3–1.[32]

Pastore was included by manager Sergio Batista in Argentina's 23-man squad for the 2011 Copa América on home soil.[33] Argentina were eliminated by eventual champions Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals.[34]

Pastore scored his first senior international goal on 31 March 2015, in a 2–1 friendly win over Ecuador, at the MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey.[35] Later that year, Pastore was selected by coach Gerardo Martino for the 2015 Copa América,[36] and started in the team's opening fixture against Paraguay in La Serena.[37] At the semi-final stage, Pastore scored the team's second goal and assisted Ángel Di María for the third as Argentina defeated Paraguay 6–1 to reach the tournament final.[38] In the final against hosts Chile on 4 July, Pastore came off for Éver Banega in the 81st minute; following a 0–0 draw after extra-time, Chile claimed the title with a 4–1 penalty shoot-out victory.[39]

In 2016, Pastore was included in Argentina's 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario.[40] Argentina went on to reach the final, only to lose out on penalties to Chile once again.[41]

Style of play edit

An elegant, creative and technically gifted advanced playmaker, with excellent dribbling skills and close control, Pastore is capable of playing in several offensive roles, due to his ability to both score and create goals. Although he is usually deployed as an attacking midfielder due to his vision, passing and striking ability from distance, he is also capable of functioning as a winger, as a supporting striker or even as a forward, and has also been deployed in more withdrawn midfield roles on occasion, operating as a central midfielder, as a deep-lying playmaker, or even as a mezzala, due to his work-rate, creativity, skill, and physical attributes, despite his lack of notable pace.[23][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] A talented, strong, quick and hard-working right-footed player,[44] his playing style has drawn comparisons to Kaká, Zinedine Zidane, Zlatan Ibrahimović and one of his childhood idols, Enzo Francescoli, although Pastore has stated that his main influence is compatriot Juan Román Riquelme.[42][50][51][52] Nicknamed "El Flaco" (like Francescoli before him) due to his tall, slender build, he was regarded as a highly promising player as a youngster, and in 2010, Don Balón named him as one of the 100 best young players in the world born after 1988.[42][52][53] Despite his talent, however, he is known to be injury prone, and has also drawn criticism in the media for being inconsistent.[54][55]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of match played 22 August 2022[56][57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Talleres 2006–07 Primera B Nacional 5 0 0 0 5 0
Huracán 2007–08 Argentine Primera División 1 0 0 0 1 0
2008–09 Argentine Primera División 30 8 0 0 30 8
Total 31 8 0 0 31 8
Palermo 2009–10 Serie A 34 3 3 0 37 3
2010–11 Serie A 35 11 4 1 6 1 45 13
Total 69 14 7 1 6 1 82 16
Paris Saint-Germain 2011–12 Ligue 1 33 13 3 1 7 2 43 16
2012–13 Ligue 1 34 4 4 2 10 3 48 9
2013–14 Ligue 1 29 1 6 1 6 1 41 3
2014–15 Ligue 1 34 5 7 1 10 0 51 6
2015–16 Ligue 1 16 2 4 1 6 0 26 3
2016–17 Ligue 1 15 0 6 3 2 0 23 3
2017–18 Ligue 1 25 4 9 1 3 0 37 5
Total 186 29 39 10 44 6 269 45
Roma 2018–19 Serie A 14 3 2 1 1 0 17 4
2019–20 Serie A 11 0 0 0 4 0 15 0
2020–21 Serie A 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Total 30 3 2 1 5 0 37 4
Elche 2021–22 La Liga 13 0 2 0 15 0
2022–23 La Liga 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 14 0 2 0 16 0
Career total 335 54 50 12 55 7 440 73

International edit

Appearances and goals by national team and year[56][58]
National team Year Apps Goals
Argentina 2010 4 0
2011 7 0
2012 0 0
2013 0 0
2014 5 0
2015 11 2
2016 0 0
2017 2 0
Total 29 2
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pastore goal.
List of international goals scored by Javier Pastore[56][58]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 31 March 2015 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States   Ecuador 2–1 2–1 Friendly
2 30 June 2015 Estadio Municipal de Concepción, Concepción, Chile   Paraguay 2–0 6–1 2015 Copa América

Honours edit

Paris Saint-Germain[56]

Argentina

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ "Champions League squad list submitted". A.S. Roma. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Zamparini:" ricattato". La Repubblica (in Italian). 3 September 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  4. ^ "Pastore chiama la Juventus". Sport Mediaset (in Italian). 9 February 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  5. ^ El futuro de Pastore estaría en Italia Archived 8 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine at Sports YA (in Spanish)
  6. ^ "PASTORE: DEPOSITATO IL CONTRATTO" (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 11 July 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  7. ^ Richards, Joel (29 May 2009). "Maradona the only one still to be blown away by Huracán's Pastore". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  8. ^ "Palermo 3 - 1 Catania Match report - 11/14/10 Serie A - Goal.com".
  9. ^ "Zamparini: Pastore deal done with PSG". Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  10. ^ "PSG sign Pastore - psg.fr". Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  11. ^ "UN PALERMO CHE INVESTE". US Città di Palermo (in Italian). 1 September 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Regolamento Agenti dei Calciatori (2011)" [Football agent regulation] (PDF). FIGC (in Italian). 3 March 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  13. ^ "PSG 1-0 Brest". SkySports. 11 September 2011.
  14. ^ a b "10 Pastore Javier". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  15. ^ "A promising start!". Paris Saint-German F.C. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  16. ^ "Number Ten For Javier Pastore". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 28 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Javier Pastore returns to Paris Saint-Germain lineup to torment Marseille". ESPN. 27 February 2017.
  18. ^ "Coupe de France, Niort-PSG (0-2) : Paris se sort du piège en eaux troubles". Le Parisien (in French). 1 March 2017.
  19. ^ "PSG turn it round to see of Lyon". Ligue 1. 19 March 2017.
  20. ^ "Angers 0-1 Paris St-Germain". BBC Sport. 17 May 2017.
  21. ^ Guérin, Vincent (3 August 2017). "Pastore: 'A welcome gift'". PSG.fr. Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Javier Pastore has offered his No.10 jersey to the neo-Parisian Neymar Jr.
  22. ^ "French Cup final - PSG beat Les Herbiers". BBC Sport. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Javier Pastore signs for AS Roma". asroma.com. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Torino 0-1 Roma: Match report, reaction and key statistics". asroma.com. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Kostas Manolas goal completes comeback in Roma draw against Atalanta". ESPN FC. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  26. ^ "Pastore's contract ended by mutual consent". A.S. Roma. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Transferts : Javier Pastore s'engage avec Elche". L'Équipe (in French). 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Ex-Roma player Javier Pastore leaves Elche". RomaPress. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  29. ^ "Transferts : Javier Pastore signe au Qatar SC (officiel)" (in French). L'Équipe. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  30. ^ "FIFA Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft Russland 2018™ – FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010.
  31. ^ "World Cup 2010: Greece 0–2 Argentina: Martin Demichelis & Martin Palermo Send Europeans Home – Goal.com". 22 June 2010.
  32. ^ "Argentina vs. Mexico – Football Match Report – June 27, 2010 – ESPN".
  33. ^ Tim Sturtridge; Alejandro Pérez (19 June 2011). "Copa America: Argentina squad preview". The Independent. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  34. ^ Edwards, Daniel (17 July 2011). "Argentina 1–1 Uruguay (AET, 4–5 pens.): Carlos Tevez penalty miss proves costly as hosts crash out of Copa America". Goal.com. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  35. ^ Sacha Pisani (1 April 2015). "Argentina 2 Ecuador 1: Javier Pastore the Hero". beinsports.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  36. ^ "Gerardo Martino confirmó la lista de 23 convocados y mantuvo a Casco para la Copa América" [Gerardo Martino confirmed list of 23 selected and kept Casco for the Copa América] (in Spanish). La Nación. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  37. ^ "Argentina 2-2 Paraguay". BBC. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  38. ^ "Argentina 6–1 Paraguay". BBC. 1 July 2015.
  39. ^ "Chile 0 Argentina 0 (4–1 on pens)". BBC Sport. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  40. ^ "Los 23 para la Copa América" (in Spanish). afa.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  41. ^ "Chile beat Argentina on penalties to win Copa América – as it happened". The Guardian. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  42. ^ a b c Stefano Cantalupi; Valerio Clari (22 September 2009). "Next Generation: Pastore Eleganza e fantasia a Palermo" [Next Generation: Pastore Elegance and creativity at Palermo] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  43. ^ Luca Calamai (7 June 2010). ""Dai, Zamparini prendi Amauri"" [Come on, Zamparini get Amauri] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  44. ^ a b Stefano Chioffi (13 May 2009). "Pastore, futuro in Europa per il talento argentino" [Pastore, a future in Europe for the Argentine talent] (in Italian). Il Corriere dello Sport. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  45. ^ James Horncastle (22 October 2012). "Javier Pastore under pressure to justify his worth at PSG". ESPN FC. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  46. ^ Jonathan Johnson (10 October 2015). "What Is PSG's Strongest Midfield Right Now?". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  47. ^ "Javier Pastore's best moments in Ligue 1". beinsports.com. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  48. ^ "Foot - ITA - Serie A : l'AS Rome s'impose facilement contre Cagliari, Javier Pastore buteur" (in French). L'Equipe.fr. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019 – via Yahoo!.
  49. ^ Cecchini, Massimo (29 July 2018). "Roma, Pastore: "Qui per vincere tutto. Io mezzala? Anche al Psg"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  50. ^ "Pastore "is new Zidane", claims Palermo chief". ESPN FC. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  51. ^ "Pastore : "Riquelme, mon idole"" [Pastore: "Riquelme, my idol"] (in French). Bein Sports. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  52. ^ a b "Pastore: Messi is the best in the world". FIFA.com. 17 January 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  53. ^ "Don Balón's list of the 100 best young players in the world". The Spoiler. 2 November 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  54. ^ Jones, Matt (14 June 2018). "PSG Reportedly Keen to Offload Angel Di Maria, Javier Pastore Amid FFP Fears". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  55. ^ Raynor, Dominic (2 October 2014). "Javier Pastor's "genius" is not consistent enough for PSG, says Frank Leboeuf". Goal.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  56. ^ a b c d "J. Pastore". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  57. ^ Javier Pastore profile Archived 26 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine soccernet.espn.go.com
  58. ^ a b "Javier Pastore". National Football Teams. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  59. ^ "La corona dei calciatori A Mourinho l'Oscar 2010" [The footballers' crown The 2010 Oscar goes to Mourinho] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  60. ^ "6 Parisians in the team of the season". PSG. 17 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2015.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Sky Sports profile
  • Javier Pastore at ESPN FC
  • Javier Pastore at L'Équipe Football (in French)
  • Profile at LegaSerieA[dead link] (in Italian)
  • Javier Pastore at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)