Mariano Pavone

Mariano Pavone
Pavone in 2008
Personal information
Full name Hugo Mariano Pavone
Date of birth 27 May 1982
Place of birth Tres Sargentos, Argentina
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Quilmes
Number 10
Youth career
Boca Juniors
1996–2000 Estudiantes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2007 Estudiantes 172 (51)
2007–2011 Betis 76 (16)
2010–2011 → River Plate (loan) 34 (10)
2011–2012 Lanús 29 (10)
2012–2015 Cruz Azul 88 (34)
2015 → Vélez Sarsfield (loan) 15 (6)
2015–2016 Racing Club 14 (2)
2016–2017 Vélez Sarsfield 36 (18)
2017–2019 Estudiantes 42 (7)
2019 Defensor 15 (9)
2020–2023 Quilmes 62 (13)
International career
2007 Argentina 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:37, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

Hugo Mariano Pavone (born 27 May 1982) is an Argentine former professional footballer who last played for Quilmes Atlético Club as a striker.

Club career

Estudiantes

Born in Tres Sargentos, Buenos Aires Province, Pavone left his childhood club Boca Juniors at the age of 14, and went on to feature for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División during seven years (11 comprising youth). His first notable achievement there was scoring 16 goals in the 2005 edition of the Clausura, being crowned the competition's top scorer; furthermore, he was the joint top scorer of the 2006 Copa Libertadores with five goals.

Pavone was selected by sports newspaper Olé as the best player in the 2006 Apertura tournament, where he helped Estudiantes win the championship playing 17 games and scoring 11 goals. These included his team's first and last goals of the tournament, against Quilmes Atlético Club and his "alma mater" Boca Juniors respectively; he also excelled at assisting his teammates, as in the fifth goal against Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata in a 7–0 win on 15 October derby (in which he also netted once).

Betis

Pavone signed for Real Betis in late June 2007. The player, who was on his honeymoon in the city of Seville, was purchased by for €6.8 million, becoming the first signing under compatriot Héctor Cúper's management.

Pavone's competitive debut came in La Liga on 26 August, as he played the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw at Recreativo de Huelva. In his first two seasons he failed to impress, but had a good run from November 2007–January 2008, when he netted six goals in five matches, including braces against Real Zaragoza (a 2–1 win, as a late substitute) and UD Almería (a 3–1 victory).

Pavone only scored twice in the 2008–09 season, and Betis returned to the second division after nine years. He was supposed to sign for Calcio Catania in Italy on 1 February 2010 but, due to Ewerthon's refusal to sign with the Andalusians in order to take his place, the deal was cancelled.

Return to Argentina

On 23 July 2010, Club Atlético River Plate and Betis arranged a one-year loan deal for Pavone, who returned to his country after three years. He scored five goals in the Apertura, helping the club climb out of the relegation zone.

River, however, would be scheduled to appear in the relegation playoffs against Club Atlético Belgrano. On 26 June 2011, after a 0–2 away loss, he scored in the first minutes of the game but also had a penalty saved by Juan Carlos Olave, in an eventual 1–3 aggregate defeat which sent the historical Buenos Aires team to the second level for the first time in its history.

On 5 August 2011, Pavone signed for Club Atlético Lanús on a free transfer. He made his debut on the 16th against Club Atlético Independiente, coming in at the 27th minute of the second half and scoring the game's only goal in injury time.

Pavone had a good run in the second semester, netting seven times in the 2012 Clausura and another four in the 2012 Copa Libertadores.

Cruz Azul

In June 2012, Pavone joined Cruz Azul in the Liga MX, helping to the conquest of two major titles in two years, including the 2013–14 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League where he scored his team's only goal in the finals and was awarded the Golden Ball.

Back to Argentina

On 13 January 2015, Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield signed Pavone on loan. In June, after his contract expired, he rejected an offer from his first club Estudiantes and joined Racing Club de Avellaneda.

After five months at the Estadio Presidente Juan Domingo Perón, Pavone returned to Vélez for the 2016 season.

Later career

In July 2017, Pavone rejoined Estudiantes. He made his league debut in his second spell on 29 August, playing the entire 2–1 home victory over Arsenal de Sarandí.

On 22 May 2019, having contributed to a 5–1 defeat of Sarmiento de Resistencia in the round of 64 of the Copa Argentina, Pavone scored his 70th competitive goal for Los Pincharratas. On 25 June, the 37-year-old moved to Defensor Sporting of the Uruguayan Primera División after agreeing to a one-and-a-half-year contract.

International career

Pavone played one game for the Argentina national team, against Chile on 18 April 2007.

Personal life

Pavone's older brother, Gonzalo, was also a footballer and a striker. He played for nearly 15 clubs during his career, also competing in Spain (lower leagues exclusively).

Club statistics

As of 20 February 2016
Season Country Club Appearances Goals
2000–01 Argentina Estudiantes 7 0
2001–02 Argentina Estudiantes 7 1
2002–03 Argentina Estudiantes 27 3
2003–04 Argentina Estudiantes 29 4
2004–05 Argentina Estudiantes 37 20
2005–06 Argentina Estudiantes 28 5
2006–07 Argentina Estudiantes 36 18
2007–08 Spain Betis 30 9
2008–09 Spain Betis 18 2
2009–10 Spain Betis 28 6
2010–11 Argentina River Plate 32 9
2011–12 Argentina Lanús 29 10
2012–13 Mexico Cruz Azul 38 20
2013–14 Mexico Cruz Azul 35 10
2014 Mexico Cruz Azul 15 4
2015 Argentina Vélez Sarsfield 15 6
2015 Argentina Racing Club 14 2
2016– Argentina Vélez Sarsfield 3 2

Honours

Club

Estudiantes

Cruz Azul

Individual