Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 8y

Javier Saviola handed coaching role by Andorran side FC Ordino

Former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola has taken on a coaching role with FC Ordino after deciding to relocate to Andorra with his family.

Saviola, 34, had been without a club since leaving River Plate in January and Argentine newspaper Ole claims he had been hopeful of extending his playing career.

However, he was not tempted by any of the offers which arrived in the summer and instead opted to leave his homeland for Ordino in Andorra, close to where he lived during his six years with Barca.

"This is all very new to me, I will try to impart my experience as a footballer onto the younger players," Saviola is quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo.

It is unclear whether his move into coaching will now signal the end of his days on the pitch. He will initially work with Ordino's junior sides and is expected to help out with the first team, while turning out as a player has not yet been ruled out, having not officially announced his retirement from the game.

Ordino, founded in 2010, currently play in the eight-team Andorran Primera Division and lost their first game of the new season to Lusitanos at the weekend.

Saviola joins the club at the tail end of a career which took in Barcelona, Madrid, Benfica and several other European sides, in between two spells with River.

His second spell with boyhood club River ended earlier this year, just seven months after he had rejoined them from Verona and following a failure to find the back of the net in any of his appearances.

On the international stage, Saviola won 39 caps for Argentina, scoring 11 goals, and took part in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

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