Cult Heroes - Facundo Sava

What do you do if you aren't a very good centre forward but wish to be remembered fondly by the fans? Simple - make every goal you score as memorable as possible with a trademark celebration. Enter the masked Argentine - Facundo Sava. After beginning his career in his homeland at Ferro Carril Oeste he then moved to Boca Juniors and Gimnasia. It was at Gimnasia that he attracted the attention of Fulham. He arrived for £2m in 2002.


Whenever the striker hit the back of the net he would pull down his sock and extract a mask in which he would bask in the glory of his fans. Sava claimed that he was sent over 250 masks from fans but unfortunately he only ever scored 130 career goals. Here at the AG Chateaux we have been combing ebay for the leftovers but sadly searching for 'Sava mask' only yields a crime novel called 'Behind The Mask - a true story of obsession and a savage genius'. The reviews are generally poor.


At Fulham he made 27 appearances but managed to score only six goals(He didn't don the mask when he scored an own goal in the UEFA Cup against Hertha Berlin). But what Sava lacked in goals he made up for with personality. Who doesn't want Zorro playing for their club? He got the fans involved and to this day the supporters at Craven Cottage can not veil their fondness for him. After a spell in the Spanish second division, Sava returned to Argentina and eventually ended his career back at his first club. -TG