Happy Birthday, Javier Pastore!
A five-time winner of Ligue 1 McDonald's with Paris Saint-Germain, Javier Pastore was key to the Club's early success in the QSI era -- learn more about his story as he celebrates his 36th birthday!
Success in Italy and a debut for his country
Born in the central Argentine city of Cordoba, Pastore got his start with Talleres, the famed local club. Despite making just a handful of appearances as a teenager, his talent was clear, and he impressed further after joing the Buenos Aires side Huracán. Scoring eight goals that season, he was key to the team finishing second in the Clausura, attracting the attention of Europe's biggest sides.
He eventually decided to honor his Italian roots by joining Palermo, where he and another PSG legend-to-be, Edinson Cavani, helped the team finish in the European places. Named the 2009/10 Serie A Young Player of the Year, after his standout displays in Sicily, he also made his debut for the national team, joining PSG a season later, having scored an impressive 11 goals in his final season.
Javier Pastore with the UCL trophy 🏆😍 pic.twitter.com/38nmNPLLQh
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 31, 2025
A fan favorite in Paris
After joining Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2011, he formed part of a new-look midfield alongside Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta. While the Ligue 1 title (won by Montpellier HSC) evaded Les Parisiens, Pastore was a smash hit, finishing as the team's second-top scorer with sixteen goals in all competitions. The next season, PSG wouldn't be denied, winning the first of four straight titles, with Pastore again a regular. In 2014/15, he recorded one of his best individual seasons in France, helping the team to a quadruple and being named to the UNFP Team of the Year.
While injuries, as well as the arrivals of his countryman Ángel Di Maria and the Brazilian Neymar would curtail his playing time in his final three seasons in Paris, there's no doubting his importance in adding a bit of technical brilliance to Ligue 1 while thrilling the team's notoriously passionate fans. Speaking on his departure from the club in 2018, Pastore said, "They have been great to me for seven years. I want to thank them all again. They have always been there for me, supporting me, during the good times and also the tough times. I am very proud to have had them as my fans."
After three seasons with Roma and two more in Spain, Pastore retired in 2023 after a brief spell in Qatar, his place as a true talent of the game secure.
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