Ezequiel Lavezzi

Few forwards of his generation carried a nickname as evocative as ‘Pocho’ — and fewer still earned a second one, ‘la Bestia’, from Argentine media after a 69th-minute goal against River Plate at the Estadio Monumental that dented River’s title charge. Born Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi on 3 May 1985, he rose through the youth side of Estudiantes (BA) in 2003, scoring 17 goals in 39 games before Genoa bought him in 2004 for €1 million, immediately loaning him to San Lorenzo, where at 19 he netted eight goals to finish fourth in the Apertura 2004 scoring charts.

Napoli signed him in 2007, and alongside Marek Hamšík — and later Edinson Cavani under Walter Mazzarri’s ‘I tre tenori’ attacking trio — he helped return the club to Serie A prominence, qualify for the Champions League for the first time in its history in 2011, and lift the 2012 Coppa Italia, the club’s first trophy in over 20 years. That form earned a €26.5 million move to Paris Saint-Germain, where he made over 150 appearances and won three Ligue 1 titles, two Coupes de la Ligue and one Coupe de France. He closed his club career in China with Hebei China Fortune from 2016 to 2019.

Internationally, Lavezzi debuted for Argentina in April 2007 and won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, scoring twice in the tournament. He featured in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final run, assisting Lionel Messi’s winner against Iran, and reached the finals of the 2015 Copa América and Copa América Centenario — where he scored against Bolivia and the United States before a broken elbow ruled him out of the final.

Known for pace, dribbling, creativity and a tireless work rate, and deployed as a winger, second striker or attacking midfielder, Lavezzi retired as one of Argentina’s most respected attacking talents of the 2000s and 2010s.