Steve Savidan
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 June 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Angers, France | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | Angers | 42 | (15) |
| 1999–2000 | Châteauroux | 20 | (3) |
| 2000–2001 | Ajaccio | 37 | (6) |
| 2001–2002 | Angers | 36 | (6) |
| 2002–2003 | Beauvais | 24 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Angoulême | 37 | (12) |
| 2004–2008 | Valenciennes | 145 | (61) |
| 2008–2009 | Caen | 38 | (14) |
| Total | 379 | (117) | |
| National team | |||
| 2008 | France | 1 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Steve Savidan (born 29 June 1978) is a French retired footballer who played as a striker.
A late bloomer, he played for seven clubs, mostly in the country's second and third divisions. At the age of 30, he reached the French national team for his sole cap.
Club career
Born in Angers, Savidan's first year of professional football was spent with Angers SCO, his hometown team. He attracted attention from LB Châteauroux and was transferred after two seasons: out of 20 games he only managed to score three goals as a substitute and, at the end of the year, was sold to AC Ajaccio.
Savidan would spend also only one year at his new club, before returning to former side Angers. For the 2002–03 season he was bought by AS Beauvais, and failed to score a single goal over the entire course of the campaign, moving to AS Angoulême subsequently. As the team operated in the Championnat National, thus lacking professional status, the player would also work briefly as a waste collector and bartender;[1] finished that season with his best individual effort at the time, with 12 goals.
At age 26, Savidan signed with Valenciennes FC also in the third level. Mainly due to his impressive scoring rate, the club went straight into Ligue 1 in just two seasons. During the latter campaign, the side was crowned league winners, and he finished joint-top scorer at 16.
In his first game in the first level, at AJ Auxerre on 5 August 2006 (aged 28), Savidan netted in a 1–1 draw.[2] On 10 February of the following year he had an impressive performance, scoring four goals in a 5–2 away win against FC Nantes[3]– he would finish the season as the competition's second top scorer, behind Pauleta.[4]
Settled in Valenciennes, Savidan opened a restaurant called K9 (K for wife Karine, and 9 for his shirt number).[5] However, he signed for SM Caen in summer 2008 for a reported fee of €5 million.
Savidan scored fourteen goals in 2008–09, but Caen was relegated to division two. Subsequently, he arranged a move to AS Monaco FC, also in the €5million region; however, a defect in his heart was detected upon his medical, and the 31-year-old ended his career on 4 July 2009 at the advice of the club's doctors.[6]
In the fall of 2009, Savidan – who played ice hockey in his childhood – joined hometown club ASG Angers, serving as coach of the under-9 team.[7]
International career
Savidan did not receive any call-ups to represent France during his two-year stint in the top level at Valenciennes, where he displayed good form. However, on 13 November 2008, aged 30, he was picked to the national team by coach Raymond Domenech,[8] who was impressed by the player's start to the 2008–09 season. He played the second half of the 0–0 home draw against Uruguay, on the 19th.[9]
Honours
Club
- Ligue 2: 2005–06
Individual
- Ligue 2: Top scorer 2005–06
- Championnat National: Top scorer 2004–05
References
- ↑ Savidan talent does not go to waste; UEFA.com, 12 February 2007
- ↑ Valenciennes tient le choc (Valenciennes for the shocker); Eurosport, 5 August 2006 (French)
- ↑ Savidan coule Nantes (Savidan runs Nantes over); Eurosport, 10 February 2007 (French)
- ↑ Savidan est-il le meilleur attaquant de notre L1 (Is Savidan the best forward in our L1?); Maxifoot, 14 February 2007 (French)
- ↑ Steve Savidan: «Le footballeur est une marchandise!» (Steve Savidan: «The footballer is a piece of meat!»); L'Humanité, 5 March 2007 (French)
- ↑ Steve Savidan arrête sa carrière (Steve Savidan ends his career); L'Équipe, 4 July 2009 (French)
- ↑ Des nouvelles de... Steve Savidan (Steve Savidan news); Foot Mercato, 16 November 2009 (French)
- ↑ Better late than never for Savidan; FIFA.com, 19 November 2008
- ↑ France – Uruguay: finir sans fausse note (France – Uruguay: to finish on a good note); Le Parisien, 19 November 2008 (French)
External links
- L'Équipe stats (French)
- Steve Savidan – French League Stats at LFP.fr (French)
- Steve Savidan at National-Football-Teams.com