Esteban Saveljich

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

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(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Rayo Vallecano
Number 24
Youth career
2006–2012 Racing Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2016 Racing Club 28 (1)
2015–2016 → Defensa y Justicia (loan) 24 (1)
2016 → Almería (loan) 17 (1)
2016–2019 Levante 9 (0)
2017–2018 → Albacete (loan) 29 (0)
2018–2019 → Almería (loan) 33 (1)
2019– Rayo Vallecano 0 (0)
National team‡
2015– Montenegro 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 June 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2016
This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Ariel and the second or maternal family name is Saveljich.

Club career

Born in Tandil, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, 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]

On 4 August 2017, after contributing sporadically to the Valencian club's promotion to La Liga, Saveljich was loaned to Albacete Balompié in the second level, for one year.[6] On 31 August 2018, he returned to Almería on loan for the 2018–19 campaign.[7]

On 26 July 2019, Saveljich agreed to a permanent four-year deal with Rayo Vallecano, freshly relegated to the second division.[8]

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. Under Ljubiša Tumbaković, the new head coach of Montenegro national team, he played in friendly match against Greece.

Personal life

Saveljich, a Montenegrin Argentine, is the cousin of former Montenegrin footballer Niša Saveljić.[9] His paternal great-grandfather and grandmother were immigrants from Montenegro.[10][11]

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.[12][13]

Honours
Racing Avellaneda

References
  1. "Poziv za Saveljića i Vukčevića". FSCG. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  2. "Vélez terminó con sonrisa: venció 2–1 a Racing" [Vélez ended up smiling: defeated Racing by 2–1] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  3. "Racing y Estudiantes igualaron 3–3 en un verdadero y emocionante partidazo" [Racing and Estudiantes draw 3–3 in a truly and emotional great match] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  4. "El Almería cierra los fichajes del central Saveljich y del atacante Juan Ramírez" [Almería completes the signings of stopper Saveljich and forward Juan Ramírez] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 24 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  5. "Esteban Saveljich, nuevo jugador del Levante por las próximas cuatro temporadas" [Esteban Saveljich, new player of Levante for the following four seasons]. Levante UD. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  6. "Saveljich jugará cedido la próxima temporada en el Albacete Balompié" [Saveljich will play on loan the following season at Albacete Balompié] (in Spanish). Levante UD. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  7. "Joaquín se marcha del Almería y llega Esteban Saveljich" [Joaquín leaves Almería and Esteban Saveljich arrives] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  8. "Esteban Saveljich nuevo jugador del Rayo Vallecano" [Esteban Saveljich new player of Rayo Vallecano] (in Spanish). Rayo Vallecano. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  9. Esteban Saveljić: Igraću za Crnu Goru! Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine at MNsport, 28-1-2015
  10. Esteban Saveljich: “Si hubiesen chances de jugar en Montenegro, no las descartaría”
  11. Saveljich a la selección
  12. "STIGAO SAVELJIĆ". CG Fudbal. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  13. "Esteban Saveljić stigao u Crnu Goru: Presrećan sam!". portalanalitika.me. Portal Analitika. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
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