Facundo Sava · Biography

Facundo Sava was born on 7 March 1974 in Ituzaingó, in Buenos Aires Province, and came through the youth ranks at Ferro Carril Oeste. A 1.89-metre centre-forward nicknamed «Colorado», he played in Argentina, England and Spain. He began coaching after retiring in 2010 and won the 2022 Copa Argentina with Patronato.

Early years at Ferro and Boca

He made his first-division debut for Ferro Carril Oeste on 31 October 1993, against Huracán. In his first spell at the Caballito club, from 1993 to 1996, he played 80 matches and scored 9 goals. In 1996 he moved to Boca Juniors, where he made 7 appearances without scoring. The following year he left for La Plata, and that is where his career took off.

Goalscorer at Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata

He played for Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata from 1997 to 2002. He scored 69 goals in 180 matches and ranks among the club’s top all-time scorers. He scored hat-tricks against Colón in 1998 and again in 2000. The habit that would make him known in Europe came from the Gimnasia fans, who threw masks onto the pitch: he started celebrating his goals with one he kept hidden in his sock.

Fulham, Celta and Lorca

In 2002 he joined English club Fulham. That summer he won the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup with the London side and scored a hat-trick against Liverpool, celebrating his goals by putting on the mask. In two seasons in England he played 43 matches and scored 7 goals. He spent the 2004-05 season on loan at Celta de Vigo (26 matches, 3 goals) and the 2005-06 season on loan at Lorca Deportiva in the Spanish second division (39 matches, 7 goals).

Racing, Arsenal, Quilmes and retirement

He returned to Argentina in 2006 to join Racing Club. By 2008 he had played 66 matches and scored 29 goals for them, and it was in a Racing shirt that he reached 100 career goals. In December 2014 the club named its Jujuy affiliate after him. He spent 2008-09 at Arsenal de Sarandí and won the 2008 Suruga Bank Cup with them. He then joined Quilmes (2009-2010) and helped them win promotion to the first division, scoring 8 goals in 22 matches. In 2010 he went back to Ferro, played 6 matches and scored 2 goals, and retired in September of that year. He finished his career with 139 goals in 495 matches.

Social psychologist and author

Like his father, Alberto Sava, he studied social psychology at the school founded by Enrique Pichon-Rivière. In 2010 he published the book Los colores del fútbol.

Coaching career

His first coaching job was at San Martín de San Juan in April 2012, and he was sacked that September. In 2013 he managed Unión de Santa Fe until December. His first job abroad was at O’Higgins in Chile, from 2014 to January 2015. He returned to Quilmes in 2015, coached Racing Club in 2016 and took over Tigre in 2017, leaving in June. He left Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata in April 2018. In his second spell at Quilmes, from 2019 to 2021, he reached the 2021 promotion final and lost it to Barracas Central.

Copa Argentina with Patronato

In 2022 he managed Patronato and won the 2022 Copa Argentina, his first trophy as a coach. In 2023 he moved to Paraguayan club Cerro Porteño and resigned in July. He then took over Sarmiento de Junín, kept them in the first division and left in November that year. He coached Huracán from 2023 until February 2024 and Atlético Tucumán from 2024 until February 2025. In August 2025 he returned to Sarmiento de Junín for a second spell.