Palermo in 2008 After his breakthrough at the 2007 South American Youth Championship, several big teams were reportedly interested in signing Cavani, including
Juventus and
Milan. On 29 January 2007, however,
Palermo chairman
Maurizio Zamparini announced the signing of the promising Uruguayan. The bid was officially confirmed on 31 January for €4.475 million. Cavani made his debut on 11 March 2007 in a home league match against
Fiorentina, coming on in the 55th minute with his team 1–0 down and scoring an impressive equaliser only 15 minutes later, a goal reminiscent of
Marco van Basten's strike in the
1988 UEFA European Football Championship final. In his second season with the
Rosanero, Cavani found himself fighting for a first team place with
Fabrizio Miccoli and
Amauri. After Amauri's departure to Juventus in June 2008, Cavani cemented his place in the starting line-up, forming a striking partnership with Fabrizio Miccoli and scoring a total 14 goals in the
2008–09 season, earning the nickname "
El Matador" due to his composure in front of goal. He retained his place for the
2009–10 season under new boss
Walter Zenga, and also under successor
Delio Rossi, being instrumental in the team's successful run in
Serie A which took Palermo to European qualification and potential qualification to the
UEFA Champions League with two games remaining. In April 2010, he signed a new contract with Palermo valid to June 2014.
Napoli 2010–11: move to Europe In July 2010, Cavani signed for
Napoli. The transfer, however, was a loan of €5 million plus an option/obligation to buy outright for €12 million, which made the total fee €17 million. After debuting for Napoli as a substitute in the previous game, Cavani scored twice in his first start, as Napoli beat
Elfsborg in the
UEFA Europa League 2–0 and qualified for the main tournament. He then started his Serie A tenure with Napoli scoring a controversial goal against Fiorentina after just seven minutes, with replays showing the ball landing on the line. Cavani also scored on his home debut against
Bari before adding a late winner against
Sampdoria, meaning he had scored in his first four competitive matches with Napoli. On 26 September, Cavani came on as a late replacement with 30 minutes left in a game against
Cesena which Napoli was losing 1–0. After assisting the equalising goal, he went on to score two more, with the scoreline finishing at 4–1. That meant Cavani shared the lead as top scorer in the league alongside
Internazionale's
Samuel Eto'o. Cavani's partnership with fellow forwards
Ezequiel Lavezzi and
Marek Hamšík led the Italian sporting media to dub them "The Three Tenors" after the famous
singing group of the same name. On 15 December, Cavani netted a 92nd-minute goal against
Steaua București to help his team to a 1–0 win and progress beyond the group stage of the
Europa League. In the first match, which was held on Romanian soil, he had scored an equalising goal in the 97th minute. On 9 January 2011, Cavani scored a hat-trick during a 3–0 win over
Juventus, the third goal coming by way of a diving header. On 30 January, Cavani scored another hat-trick, this time in a 4–0 win over Sampdoria. Cavani continued his fine form scoring a brace against
Roma, with Napoli winning 2–0. On 20 March, Cavani scored another brace against
Cagliari in a 2–1 win. This win kept them within three points of leaders Milan with eight games left. On 3 April, Cavani scored yet another hat-trick in a 4–3 comeback win over
Lazio, having been 2–0 and 3–2 down during the game. He also became the highest league goalscorer in a single season in Napoli's history, netting 25 goals in Serie A. On 8 May, in a 2–1 away loss against
Lecce, he received a red card for two bookable offences. He sarcastically applauded the referee after the decision and was handed a two-match ban for the action. As Napoli only had two more games of the season, it meant that his season was over and that he would not be able to regain his top position in the Serie A scoring charts, as
Antonio Di Natale had surpassed him with 26 goals. Cavani signed a new five-year contract on 19 May, keeping him at Napoli until 2016.
2011–12: Coppa Italia win On 14 September, Cavani scored the opener in Napoli's first game of their
Champions League campaign, a 1–1 away draw at
Manchester City. Four days later, on 18 September, he scored a hat-trick against Milan in Napoli's 3–1 home win. On 22 November, Cavani scored both goals in the match winning brace 2–1 at home against Manchester City in the Champions League, leaving Napoli in pole position to follow
Bayern Munich into the knockout stage. On 26 November, Cavani scored a 94th-minute equaliser against
Atalanta after Napoli went a goal down in the 64th minute through on-loan Napoli striker
Germán Denis. On 21 December, Cavani netted a brace in Napoli's 6–1 thrashing of
Genoa, helping the
Azzurri finish 2011 strong and end the first half of the season in sixth place. On 17 February 2012, Cavani scored two goals against Fiorentina, helping Napoli go in fifth place ahead of Internazionale. On 21 February, Cavani scored the second goal against
Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16 first leg in
Naples. He also provided the assists for both of Ezequiel Lavezzi's goals that game. Napoli subsequently went on to win this game 3–1. Following Napoli's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Chelsea, Cavani scored two goals against
Udinese in the last ten minutes to earn a much-needed draw to keep Napoli in the hunt for the last Champions League qualifying spot. A few days later, he converted a fantastic counter-attack against
Siena to book Napoli a place in the
Coppa Italia final. On 21 April, he celebrated his 200th career league appearance by scoring in a 2–0 win against
Novara. Cavani finished the league season with 23 goals, tied for third on the goal scoring charts with Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale. On 20 May, Cavani scored a penalty against Juventus in the 2012 Coppa Italia final at the
Stadio Olimpico, Rome, which Napoli won 2–0. Cavani finished the tournament as the top goalscorer, with five goals.
2012–13: Serie A top scorer in the Europa League in 2012|left Cavani's first goal of the
Serie A season came on 26 August, netting the final goal of Napoli's 3–0 defeat of former club Palermo. A month later, on 26 September, Cavani scored a mesmerising hat-trick against Lazio to maintain Napoli's undefeated start to the Serie A season in a 3–0 win. On 8 November, Cavani scored all four goals, including a half-volley from outside the box and a tremendous free kick, as Napoli came back from 2–1 down to defeat
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 4–2 in the group stage of the
Europa League. Cavani scored a late penalty in the 94th minute to secure a 2–1 victory over Swedish side
AIK on 22 November, sending Napoli through to the next round of the Europa League. Cavani was the last player ever to score on the
Råsunda Stadium which was the stadium that hosted the
1958 FIFA World Cup final. On 6 January 2013, Cavani netted a perfect hat-trick as Napoli thumped Roma 4–1, gaining ground in the race for the league title as champions Juventus fell to a shock win. Cavani finished the season as leading Serie A goalscorer, with 29 goals, six ahead of Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale in second. Towards the end of the season, reports emerged that Cavani would leave Napoli, with Chelsea, Manchester City,
Paris Saint-Germain and
Real Madrid all believed to be interested. On 27 May 2013, however, he told that he was not thinking of moving, saying, "Real Madrid, Chelsea and [Manchester] City are interested in me? I just think about Napoli." Nonetheless, he continued, "If an important offer were to come in, I will talk with president [Aurelio] De Laurentiis". He then paid tribute to his time in Italy, saying, "I'm fine in Italy, I have grown as a man there and as a player with the Serie A experience". Cavani was asked about the interest Chelsea and Manchester City took in him, saying, "I don't know if they made an offer for me, I just know that to be coached by someone like [Man City manager]
Manuel Pellegrini or [Chelsea manager]
José Mourinho would always be a pleasure". On 23 June, Napoli club president
Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that Cavani's reported £53 million "buyout clause expires" on 10 August 2013.
Paris Saint-Germain On 16 July 2013, Cavani joined French champions Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract, for a fee believed to be around €64 million, making it the sixth
largest transfer in history, at the time. The reported sum made Cavani the record signing in French football, breaking
Radamel Falcao's €60 million move to
Monaco earlier in the summer, and saw him link up with former Napoli teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi in Paris.
2013–14: debut season Cavani debuted for PSG on 9 August, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Lavezzi in a league match against
Montpellier. He started the following game on 18 August and scored his first goal for the club, a late equaliser against
Ajaccio. Cavani scored his first Champions League goal for the club in their European season opener against
Olympiacos on 17 September. He ended the
group stage with four goals from five matches as PSG qualified with a 100% win record. On 2 March, after missing a month of the season with a thigh injury, Cavani scored on his return to the team in a 2–0 win over
Le Classique rivals
Marseille at the
Parc des Princes. On 19 April, he scored both goals for PSG as they beat
Lyon 2–1 in the
2014 Coupe de la Ligue Final. He finished his first season with 25 goals in 43 games across all competitions, including 16 in 30 league games.
2014–16: back-to-back domestic quadruples in October 2015|alt=|206x206px Cavani scored a penalty to secure a 3–1 win at
Lens on 17 October 2014, and
celebrated by shooting an imaginary bow and arrow. Referee Nicolas Rainville booked him for this, and sent him off for dissent after Cavani complained about it. PSG club president
Nasser Al-Khelaifi said to
Canal+, "Why did he get the yellow card before? He always celebrates the same way." On 5 November 2014, it took Cavani 56 seconds to score the only goal of the game against Cypriot club
APOEL, a result which put PSG into the
Champions League knock-out stage with two games to spare. In January 2015, Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi were fined and suspended for two matches by PSG manager
Laurent Blanc for missing a mid-season training camp in Morocco and the first training session after the winter break. On 11 April, he scored two goals as a second-half substitute for Lavezzi as PSG defeated
Bastia 4–0 to win the
2015 Coupe de la Ligue Final. On 8 May, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 defeat of
Guingamp, which gave PSG a six-point lead in
Ligue 1 with two matches remaining. With the title retained, PSG sealed a domestic treble on 30 May when Cavani headed the only goal of the game – his 31st in all competitions that season – to defeat
Auxerre in the Coupe de France final. Cavani and PSG kicked off the season against Lyon for the
2015 Trophée des Champions on 1 August, with him scoring the second goal of a 2–0 victory. On 21 May 2016, Cavani scored the decisive third goal of PSG's 4–2
2016 Coupe de France Final win over Marseille to record a second consecutive
Ligue 1–
Coupe de France–
Coupe de la Ligue domestic treble for the club.
2016–18: Ligue 1 Player of the Year, back-to-back Golden Foot On 13 September 2016, in the opening
2016–17 Champions League Group A match against
Arsenal at the Parc des Princes, Cavani scored after just 44 seconds had elapsed in the first half by heading in
Serge Aurier's cross from the right for PSG's fastest-ever Champions League goal. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. On 16 September, Cavani scored four times (his first ever four-goal haul with PSG) in the first half as PSG trounced
Caen 6–0 away in a
Ligue 1 match to end PSG's streak of three competitive matches without victory, two of them in Ligue 1. On 30 November, he scored a penalty in a 2–0 home win against
Angers to take his Ligue 1 tally to 14 goals in 14 matches, which also saw him become only the fourth player in PSG history to score 100 competitive goals for the club. Cavani scored one goal in each leg of PSG's 6–5 aggregate loss to
FC Barcelona in their
UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, taking him to eight goals from eight matches in the season's competition. On 1 April 2017, he scored two second-half goals in PSG's 4–1 win over
Monaco in the
2017 Coupe de la Ligue Final. On 15 May 2017, he was named
Ligue 1 Player of the Year for scoring 35 goals. and 18-year-old French prodigy
Kylian Mbappé, a loan signing with the club having an option to sign him for €180 million. Cavani, Neymar and Mbappé immediately formed a formidable attacking trio, with Cavani scoring in each of PSG's opening three games of the
2017–18 UEFA Champions League group stage, twice in the team's 5–0 win at
Celtic, once in the 3–0 win at home to
Bayern Munich, and once in the 4–0 win at
Anderlecht. On 22 October, Cavani scored a curling free kick off the crossbar to earn PSG a 2–2 draw in
Le Classique away to
Marseille. The following month, he scored twice in the return leg against Celtic in a 7–1 win. The result saw PSG break the record for the most goals scored by a club in the group stages of the Champions League, with 24. On 4 November, Cavani's goals in a 5–0 win at
Angers made him only the third player to score 100 times in two of Europe's five best leagues, after Ibrahimović and
Gonzalo Higuaín. Cavani became PSG's all-time top scorer on 27 January 2018 with a goal in a 4–0 home win over
Montpellier. He surpassed
Zlatan Ibrahimović's record with his 157th goal in his 229th match. On 8 May 2018, he scored as PSG won 2–0 against
Les Herbiers VF to clinch the
2017–18 Coupe de France.
2018–20: Final seasons in Paris On 25 August 2018, Cavani played his first game of the season after missing PSG's first three games following his injury at the 2018 World Cup. The front three of Cavani, Neymar and Mbappé all scored in a 3–1 league win over
Angers at home, with Cavani scoring the opener from Neymar's assist. On 11 November 2018, Cavani scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over
Monaco. On 18 December, Cavani scored in PSG's 2–1 win over
Orléans in the Coupe de La Ligue; this was his 15th goal all-time in the competition, tying
Pauleta's record for most goals in the tournament. In April 2020, PSG were assigned the
2019–20 Ligue 1 title after the season was ended prematurely due to the outbreak of the
COVID-19 pandemic; at the time of the League's suspension, PSG were in first place, with a twelve–point lead over second-placed Marseille. On 13 June, PSG's sporting director
Leonardo revealed that Cavani would be leaving the club at the end of the
Champions League campaign in August, alongside his teammate
Thiago Silva. However, it was later revealed that, unlike Silva, Cavani had refused a short-term two-month contract extension that would allow him to see out the rest of the delayed Champions League campaign (including
the final), the
Coupe de la Ligue final and the
Coupe de France final, and he left the club upon the expiry of his original contract on 30 June.
Manchester United 2020–21: debut season and Europa League runner-up On 5 October 2020, Cavani joined Premier League club
Manchester United on a one-year deal with an option to extend for a further year. He was given the prestigious number 7 shirt. On 24 October, he made his Premier League debut from the bench in a 0–0 draw against Chelsea. On 7 November, Cavani scored his first goal in the
Premier League in a 3–1 away win against
Everton. On 29 November, Cavani scored twice, including the winning goal in added time, in a 3–2 comeback win against
Southampton after coming on as a half-time substitute. in 2021 On 2 February 2021, he scored the fourth goal in United's Premier League record-equalling
9–0 win against Southampton. On 29 April, he scored twice and assisted two more goals in a 6–2 home win over Roma in the first leg of the
Europa League semi-finals; he scored another two in a 3–2 defeat in the return leg, which allowed United to advance to the final 8–5 on aggregate. Across April, Cavani scored five goals and collected three man of the match award from four starts which lead to him winning his first Manchester United player of the month award. On 10 May, Cavani officially extended his stay for another season. On 18 May, in an eventual 1–1 home draw against
Fulham, Cavani scored the first goal at
Old Trafford with fans in attendance since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic, a 40-yard lob. He was later awarded
Premier League Goal of the Month for his effort. On 26 May, he scored the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw against
Villarreal in the
Europa League Final; however, Manchester United lost eventually on penalties, despite Cavani netting his spot kick in the shoot-out.
2021–22: final season in England Even though Cavani played his first match of the
2021–22 season against
Wolverhampton Wanderers in the number 7 shirt, upon the arrival of
Cristiano Ronaldo, he agreed to switch to the number 21 shirt, the same number he wears for the Uruguay national team. He scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 away win on 30 October against
Tottenham Hotspur, assisted by Ronaldo. On 22 May 2022, interim-manager
Ralf Rangnick announced that Cavani would be leaving the club when his contract expired at the end of season.
Valencia On 29 August 2022,
Valencia announced the signing of Cavani with a two-year contract. He made his debut in
La Liga on 17 September by starting in a 3–0 home win over
Celta Vigo; he had been under anaesthetic for six hours the day before, having caught his finger in the boot of his car while moving house. On 15 October, he scored his first goals in a 2–2 draw with
Elche also at the
Mestalla Stadium. Cavani scored another two goals on 16 January 2023 in a 4–0 win away to
Sporting Gijón in the last 16 of the
Copa del Rey. These were his last goals for Valencia, ending his spell on 29 July with 28 games and 7 goals.
Boca Juniors in 2023 On 29 July 2023, Cavani joined
Boca Juniors on a free transfer and a deal running until December 2024. Two days later, Boca Juniors presented him at an unveiling ceremony as their new signing. On 9 August, he made his debut for the club in the
2023 Copa Libertadores round of 16 match against
Nacional; ten days later he scored his first goal in a 3–1 home win over Platense in the
Copa de la Liga Profesional. On 6 October he opened a 1–1 draw with
Palmeiras in the semi-finals of the Libertadores; in the ensuing penalty shootout he missed Boca's first attempt, though the
Xeneizes still advanced. He played in the
2–1 extra-time loss in the final to
Fluminense at the
Maracanã Stadium. On 3 March 2024, Cavani ended a goalscoring drought of nearly five months by netting a hat-trick in a 3–2 win over
Belgrano de Córdoba in the Copa de la Liga Profesional. In October, he extended his contract until the end of 2026. He told
Olé that he wished to retire at Boca Juniors. ==International career==