The star of Argentina's 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship triumph, Javier Saviola has since struggled to fulfil his potential. The small, pacy striker moved from River Plate to Barcelona in 2001 and, although he was a regular goalscorer during his first three years at the Camp Nou, he never managed to convince coach Frank Rijkaard of his worth. The signings of Samuel Eto'o and Henrik Larsson, coupled with the emergence of Lionel Messi, saw Saviola loaned to AS Monaco for the 2004-05 campaign and to Sevilla the following season. Despite his problems at club level the 23-year-old was part of the Argentina squads which won gold at the Athens Olympics and finished as runners-up to Brazil at the 2004 Copa America and 2005 Confederations Cup.