Legends
Happy Birthday Pocho Lavezzi!
Before deciding to join PSG, Lavezzi spent six years with Napoli, playing for the Serie A side from 2007 to 2012. During his time in Italy, the Argentine won the 2012 Coppa Italia as Napoli defeated Juventus 2-0, resulting in the attacker leaving the club with a trophy.
Lavezzi’s impressive run with Napoli—where he tallied 48 goals and 60 assists in 188 appearances—helped earn him a spot on Argentina’s 2008 Olympic team, which went on to win gold in Beijing.
Winning a domestic cup and gold medal, the forward took the next step in his career by joining PSG, where he won several trophies. In a 2018 interview with the club’s official website, Lavezzi reflected on his time with the Ligue 1 side.
“Only good memories! There are so many nice things in Paris, great places, I had some great times and I felt a lot of love from everyone. That’s without doubt my best memory. I grew up there as a player and as a person.”
Lifting trophies does bring good memories as Lavezzi won Ligue 1 McDonald's on four occasions, the Coupe de France two times, three Coupe de la Ligue trophies, and one Trophée des Champions.
The former Napoli player didn’t just lift trophies; he was also a key player for PSG’s attack during his tenure. Lavezzi played in 161 matches, scoring 35 goals and recording 24 assists.
In the same interview with PSG’s official website, the Argentine noted that even after leaving the club in 2016, he still has frequent contact with his ex-teammates and follows the Parisians regularly.
“I follow their results, I watch their games, I speak a lot to my former teammates. I’m still friends with many of them. I felt really good at that club and I’ll always be part of the family.”
His time in the French capital allowed him to receive regular call-ups to the Argentina national team’s senior side.
Lavezzi was part of the team that was a runner-up at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and runners-up in the 2015 and 2016 Copa América tournaments. Overall, Lavezzi made 51 total appearances for the senior squad, scoring nine goals for La Albiceleste.
When it came time to leave PSG, he chose to step away from European football and signed with Hebei China Fortune in China. Lavezzi spent four years with the club before retiring from the game in 2019.
Ligue 1 McDonald’s witnessed the peak of the Argentine’s career, so here’s to wishing Lavezzi a happy 40th birthday!
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