Esteban Saveljich

Esteban Saveljich
Personal information
Full name Esteban Ariel Saveljich
Date of birth (1991-05-20) 20 May 1991
Place of birth Tandil, Argentina
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
Levante
Number 12
Youth career
2006–2012 Racing Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2016 Racing Club 28 (1)
2015–2016Defensa y Justicia (loan) 24 (1)
2016Almería (loan) 17 (1)
2016– Levante 1 (0)
National team
2015– Montenegro 4 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 June 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2016
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Ariel and the second or maternal family name is Saveljich.

Esteban Ariel Saveljich (Montenegrin: Естебан Савељић; born 20 May 1991), also known as Esteban Saveljić, is an Argentine-born Montenegrin[1] footballer who plays for Spanish club Levante UD and Montenegro national team as a central defender.

Club career

Born in Tandil, Buenos Aires Province, Saveljich joined Racing Club's youth setup in 2006, aged 15. On 23 June 2012 he made his first team – and Primera División – debut, in a 1–2 away loss against Vélez Sársfield.[2]

Saveljich scored his first professional goal on 1 April 2014, in a 3–3 home draw against Estudiantes.[3] He was also a part of the squad which was crowned champions in that year, but as a backup.

In January 2015 Saveljich was loaned to fellow top tier club Defensa y Justicia, until the end of the year. He appeared in 24 matches, scoring once, as his side avoided relegation.

On 24 January 2016 Saveljich moved abroad, signing a six-month loan deal with Segunda División side UD Almería.[4] On 18 August, he signed a permanent four-year deal with fellow league team Levante UD.[5]

International career

Saveljich has obtained Montenegrin nationality in 2015. He was called-up for international matches of Montenegro versus Denmark and Sweden in June 2015, both of which he entered as a substitute player. In EURO 2016 qualifying match against Russia, he was in starting line-up.

Personal life

Saveljich, a Montenegrin Argentine, is the cousin of former Montenegrin footballer Niša Saveljić.[6] His paternal great-grandfather and grandmother were immigrants from Montenegro.[7][8]

Saveljich is nicknamed el Polaco by Argentine media, due to his hair colour which is typical for the Slavs. In Montenegro, he is nicknamed Gaucho.[9][10]

Honours

Racing Avellaneda

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.