Jefferson Savarino rejoins Real Salt Lake as a Designated Player. Savarino’s signing marks a historic shift in the Club with new ownership, investing in a heightened level of talent to bring them to the state of Utah.
A quick refresher on Savarino’s career before joining Real Salt Lake in 2017:
- Savarino, 25, was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Nov. 11, 1996
- He began his professional career as a teenager in his home country of Venezuela with Zulia FC, where he scored 32 goals in 132 matches across all competitions, with both the U-20 and senior squads.
- During his five years with Zuila FC, Savarino helped the team lift the both the Copa Venezuela and the Venezuelan Primera División titles in 2016.
- With the senior team, Savarino recorded 23 goals and 13 assists in 48 matches at Zulia, making him the all-time leading scorer for the club. Meanwhile, he has the fifth-most assists in club history.
- Once Savarino joined the senior team on a permanent basis, he led Zulia FC in scoring in each year until his 2017 loan and eventual transfer to Real Salt Lake.
Savarino’s career with the Claret-and-Cobalt:
- Savarino first joined Real Salt Lake in 2017 on Loan from Zulia FC.
- In his first season with RSL (2017), he recorded six goals and five assists in 22 matches, the second most in each category that year for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
- After spending his first season in Utah on loan, RSL signed the Venezuelan winger as the Club’s ninth all-time Designated Player.
- In his next two seasons with RSL, Savarino recorded 15 goals and 16 assists, plus an additional goal in the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs. He led the team in assists in both 2018 (11) and 2019 (5), while scoring the second-most goals in 2019 (9), just one short of team leader Albert Rusnák (10).
- Additionally, the Venezuelan international helped RSL reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in back-to-back seasons (2018 and 2019), appearing in all five postseason matches, scoring the game-winning goal against Portland Timbers in 2019 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinal.
- In 2019, Savarino was awarded the Goal of the Week in Week 13 and was named the MLS Player of the Week in Week 19. Additionally, he was named to the MLS Team of the Week seven times across his three campaigns (2017, 2018 and 2019).
Since leaving Utah:
- RSL transferred Savarino to Clube Atletico Mineiro in the Brazilian Serie A for the highest transfer in Club history, surpassing former RSL defender Carlos Salcedo, who departed Utah to join Chivas in Liga MX back in 2015.
- Since moving to Brazil, Savarino has recorded 21 goals and 21 assists in 93 appearances, including a brace on April 24, 2022 against Coritiba.
- In just two seasons with Atletico Mineiro, Savarino has won every trophy possible with the Brazilian club, including the Copa do Brasil (2021), Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A (2021), Campeonato Mineiro (2020, 2021, 2022) and most recently the Supercopa do Brasil (2022).
- At the international level with Venezuela, Savarino has recorded one goal and two assists in 26 matches, including 12 CONMEBOL matches during FIFA World Cup Qualifying competitions.
- Savarino debuted for Venezuela on June 3, 2017 in a 1-1 draw against the United States, and most recently appeared on March 3, 2022 against Colombia, a 1-0 loss for “La Vinotinto.” Ironically, his first goal also came against the United States, a friendly on June 9, 2019, his goal helping give Venezuela the 2-0 victory.
Fast Facts:
- Savarino is just one of three Real Salt Lake players all-time to hail from Venezuela, the others being Jeizon Ramirez (2020-21) and current teammate Sergio Cordova (2022-)
- Savarino and Cordova made their debuts for the Venezuelan National Team in the same summer (2017). Savarino has appeared in 26 matches for “La Vinotinto,” while Cordova has appeared in 15 matches.
- Savarino is one of just 12 all-time Designated Players in Club history. Former Designated Players include, Alvaro Saborio (63 goals in 127 games), Javier Morales (49 goals in 240 games), Kyle Beckerman (30 goals in 350 games), Joao Plata (46 goals in 175 games), Sebastian Jaime (5 goals in 27 games), Juan Manuel Martinez (8 goals in 50 games), Yura Morsisyan (31 goals in 110 games), Albert Rusnak (41 goals in 140 games), Jefferson Savarino (16 goals in 65 games), Sam Johnson (10 goals in 34 games).
- Of the 39 Venezuelans who have played in Major League Soccer, Savarino(Real Salt Lake, 2017-19, 21 goals in 82 games) has scored the third-most goals behind Josef Martinez (Atlanta United, 2017-present, 91 goals in 113 games) and Alejandro Moreno (Six clubs, 2002-2012, 48 goals in 250 games).
- Savarino is one of four players to come to Major League Soccer by way of Atletico Mineiro, the others being Dylan Borrero (New England Revolution), Alan Franco (Charlotte FC) and Yimmi Chara (Portland Timbers).
What he is saying about Real Salt Lake:
“My family and I have long anticipated a return to Utah; we have great memories of the fans, the community, the stadium and of course my teammates. I am told that our locker room is very much together, very tight-knit, and that the Club is poised for success. I look forward to meeting Pablo Mastroeni in person and working with him and the entire staff, as my friend Damir has shared with me wonderful things. I am grateful to Elliot, the new owners and everyone who helped make this move back to Real Salt Lake happen. I am focused on scoring goals and creating excitement and doing absolutely whatever it takes to bring trophies and success to Utah.”
