|
|
World Player of the Week: Javier Pastore - Paris Saint-Germain
Join Goal.com in saluting another player worthy of global recognition
Goal.com World Player of the Week #123: Javier Pastore
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Argentina
Age: 22
Role: Playmaker
Achievement: Inspired PSG to back-to-back wins
When Javier Pastore moved from Palermo to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, it was Serie A’s loss and Ligue 1’s gain.
Rated as one of the best attacking players in Europe and said to be the ‘Argentine Kaka’, Pastore has burst into life in the early stages of the championship in the French top flight and was a star in the past week.
The Argentina international won two penalties for PSG in midweek against Nice at home in their 2-1 victory, and then scored twice against Montpellier in their 3-0 away win at the weekend, with his first a superb volley.
Pastore’s sensational performance has lifted PSG to joint top with Olympique Lyonnais and Toulouse on 17 points from eight matches.
Congratulations to Javier Pastore, Goal.com's 123rd World Player of the Week!
Honourable Mentions
Burak Yilmaz – Trabzonspor
Yilmaz scored a hat-trick to lead his team to a 3-1 victory over Karabukspor in the Turkish Super Lig.
Lionel Messi – Barcelona
The Argentina international was in stupendous form in the past week, as he provided the assists for both goals in Barcelona’s 2-2 draw with Valencia at the Mestalla in the Primera Division in midweek, and then netted a hat-trick as the Catalan giants destroyed Atletico Madrid 5-0 at Camp Nou on Saturday evening.
Dries Mertens – PSV
Mertens found the target no fewer than four times for PSV to lead them to a comprehensive 7-1 victory over Roda JC in the Eredivisie on Saturday. He has now bagged 11 goals in seven league matches.
Dwayne De Rosario – DC United
He scored a hat-trick and assisted the other in a 4-1 win over Real Salt Lake, bringing his goal-tally for the season to a league-high of 13. He also has 11 assists heading into the final few games of the season.
Robin van Persie – Arsenal
The Netherlands international forward scored his 99th and 100th goals for Arsenal as he netted a brace against Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates in their 3-0 victory in the Premier League. Van Persie is only the 17th Arsenal player to reach the milestone.
Diego Souza – Vasco da Gama
Diego Souza scored four goals in two games to consolidate the Rio side’s position at the top of the table in the Brazilian championship.
Dejan Damjanovic - FC Seoul
The Montenegrin scored a hat-trick in their 4-1 win over Daejeon to take his tally to 22 goals in 25 games. Damjanovic has been a key player as Seoul, the Korean champions, have won nine of their past 10 K-League games to move into third ahead of the play-offs.
Leave your notes of congratulations for Javier Pastore below, or discuss who else deserves a place in the spotlight this week...-
Germany must drop their gutless Bayern stars
The Bavarians appeared to buckle under the pressure of Saturday's match against Chelsea. Now Goal.com investigates whether several in their ranks remain worthy to start for country
-
Del Piero's farewell Serie A's Moment of the Season
The legendary No.10 waved goodbye to Juventus after 19 years, scoring a goal and making a mid-game lap of honour against Atalanta in May
-
The cost of Villarreal's dramatic fall from grace
The Yellow Submarine have fallen through La Liga's trap door, and their financial prudence will be pushed to the limit as they aim to restructure for life in the Segunda
-
Why Liverpool must consider bringing Benitez home
The Spaniard endured a disastrous spell at Inter following his dismissal by the Reds but could be the man to turn things around at Anfield following Kenny Dalglish's sacking
-
All the players available for free in Spain
With the exception of Real Madrid and Barcelona, all of the clubs in the Primera Division will be releasing first-team footballers imminently. Goal.com takes a closer look
