Uruguay is a country that’s been known to produce some of the greatest strikers in football history, and Edinson Cavani is one of them. He was one of the best strikers in the last decade, and was popularly known as El Matador (“The Killer”) For his magnificent finishing skills and celebration. Cavani’s most successful stint was with PSG, while his short stint at Manchester United saw English fans witness glimpses of his brilliance even though not as prominent as his days in Paris. This article will be looking at Cavani’s time at Napoli, which ultimately saw his rise as one of the most promising strikers in world football at the time.
A new beginning at Naples
Cavani joined Napoli from Palermo in the 2010–11 season in an initial €5 million loan deal that was later made permanent for €12 million, making his total transfer cost €17 million. After making his debut for Napoli as a substitute, Cavani made an instant impact on his first start for the club as he scored a brace to help Napoli beat Elfsborg in the UEFA Europa League and qualified for the main tournament. The excellent start was followed in Serie A as well, as Cavani scored in his home debut for the club. Cavani was on an excellent run of form at the start of his Napoli career, as he had scored in his first four competitive matches with Napoli.
Uruguay's brilliant goalscoring run continued, and he shared the league's top scorer position alongside Inter Milan's Samuel Eto'o by September. Apart from his goal scoring abilities, Cavani's partnership with Napoli teammates Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamšík was instrumental to their success at the time.
Cavani kept on scoring at a ridiculous rate, having scored multiple hat-tricks and braces in the months that followed. The season however ended on a disappointing note for him, as he received a red card for two bookable offenses against Lecce, and was also handed a two-match ban for sarcastically applauding the referee.
This meant Cavani's season was over, as Napoli only had 2 more games remaining. This affected Cavani's opportunity to finish as League top scorer, as Antonio Di Natale eventually surpassed him with 26 goals. Cavani still managed to finish the season with 25 league goals, which made him the highest league goalscorer in a single season for Napoli at the time.
Silverware success
Cavani continued his magnificent form in the following 2011–12 season, which saw him score a hat-trick against Milan and a brace against Manchester City in the Champions League. Cavani was yet again instrumental when Napoli faced Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16 that year, as he was involved in all 3 goals as Napoli beat Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg. They were, however, knocked out by the Blues in the second leg.
As the season came to a close, Cavani finished the league as 3rd top scorer with 23 goals. Napoli finished their season on a historic note, as they went on to beat Italian giants Juventus in the 2012 Coppa Italia final. The final score was 2-0, with Cavani scoring a penalty. He also finished as the tournament top scorer with 5 goals.
Leaving Italy as the top scorer
The 2012–13 season was more of the same, as Cavani continued his brilliant goalscoring form. As the season ended, The Uruguayan was finally able to claim the throne of Serie A top scorer. With 29 league goals, Cavani's hard work over the past few seasons was finally rewarded. That would also end being the last of El Matador at Napoli.
The aftermath
Edinson Cavani was eventually signed by PSG for €64 million, which made it the 6th largest transfer in history at the time. The Uruguayan continued his goalscoring exploits in Paris, breaking numerous records and establishing himself as one of the greatest in PSG history.
