Edinson Roberto Cavani Gomez is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team.
Cavani began his career playing for Danubio in Montevideo, where he played for two years, before moving to Italian side Palermo in 2007. He spent four seasons at the club, scoring 34 goals in 109 league appearances. In 2010, Cavani signed for Napoli, who signed him on an initial loan deal before buying him for a total fee €17 million. In the 2011–12 season, he won his first club honour, the Coppa Italia, in which he was top scorer with five goals. With Napoli, Cavani went on to score 33 goals each in his first two seasons, followed by 38 goals in his third season, where he also finished as Serie A top scorer with 29 league goals. On 16 July 2013, Cavani was transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for a reported €64 million, at the time the most expensive signing in French football history. In January 2018, he became the club's all-time top scorer with his 157th goal. With PSG, Cavani has won four Ligue 1 championships, five Coupes de la Ligue and four Coupes de France. He was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the 2016–17 season.
A quick, strong, opportunistic and prolific forward with good technique, Cavani has been described as a "modern striker".He is known for his ability to score impressive goals, both in the air and with his feet, and for his tireless work-rate; he is also an accurate set-piece taker. Although he primarily plays as a centre-forward, he is capable of playing in several offensive positions, and has also been deployed as a supporting striker or as a winger.
Cavani is an Uruguayan international. He scored on his debut against Colombia on 6 February 2008, and has since then earned 100 caps and scored 42 international goals, only less than Luis Suarez among Uruguayan internationals. He has participated in six major international tournaments: the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2011 Copa América, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa América and the Copa America Centenario. He scored once at the 2010 World Cup to help Uruguay to fourth place in the tournament, and in 2011 was part of the Uruguay squad that won a record 15th Copa America title. He finished as the CONMEBOL 2018 World Cup qualification top scorer with 10 goals.
In March 2018, Cavani was part of the Uruguay squad that won the China Cup. He scored in the 2–0 semi-final win over the Czech Republic, and in the final he scored the only goal against Wales, his 100th cap. |
