He is 19 years old, born in São Mateus (Espírito Santo, Brazil). In just five days he has already thrilled all Spanish football fans. Sávio Moreira de Oliveira, “Savinho”, is one of the newcomers of this LaLiga start. A goal, two assists and a confidence that puts you in tune with football Guided tour of Girona to be (once again) the great revelation of the Spanish championship.
“Our squad is spectacular. A great team. We’re not missing anything.”, defends Míchel at a press conference when asked about his Girona. After the draw against Real Sociedad (1-1) on the first matchday, the remaining games are counted according to wins: Getafe, Sevilla, Las Palmas and finally Granada. A 2:4, in which Sávio shone with a goal and an assist. “We are working on getting him to play on the left,” he says of the Brazilian. “But players with quality know that they have to adapt when the team needs something from them,” he adds.
A total surprise
But Sávio’s story is without a doubt an unexpected story. Although he was on the radar of Brazil’s youth teams, he had only played in the U16 team and was little known at Atlético Mineiro before making the move to Europe. Understandably, on the other hand, he was still too young. Despite it, In the summer of 2022, City Football Group bought him for 6 million euros and sent him to French club Troyes.
He never wore the French national team jersey. On loan to PSV, he played more often in the second division with the reserve team than with the first team (two assists in six Eredivisie games) … and from Eindhoven he watched Troyes get relegated to Ligue 2. Not all of City Football Group’s projects are going well. That’s why he came to Girona. Ceded. And since preseason he started to shine.
“He can bring a lot of wealth and be a differentiated footballer”, warned Quique Cárcel, Girona’s sporting director, in the summer after his arrival. “You have to be patient… but “He still has a lot of future ahead of him and can deliver an important performance.”, he added a little more cautiously. Well, we didn’t have to wait long for Sávio’s explosion.
He can bring a lot of wealth and be a differentiated footballer
Quique Cárcel, Girona sporting director
A special haggler
If there is something that defines “Savinho”, it is the courage to play football. A football that is lost, a species that is threatened with extinction. The opponent, the street player. Goodbye to science, hello to improvisation. Sávio is the second best dribbler in LaLiga so far: 13 completed dribbles. Only Bryan Zaragoza (Granada) improves it.
He is a difference player in one-on-one situations. It was on our radar and we were very clear that it would help us
Míchel, coach of Girona
“He is a differential player in one-on-one situations.” It was on our radar and we were very clear that it would help us. He has enormous talent that we will enjoy,” Míchel confirmed, once again praising the Brazilian talent he has in his hands. An affection that is mutual One of the keys to Sávio’s arrival at Girona was how well Couto and Reinier spoke to him about Míchel as a coach.
