Edinson Cavani's Greatest Ever Performances
By Mitch Wilks
Somehow, Edinson Cavani slips under the radar a tad in the discussion around football's greatest strikers.
'El Matador' has been one of the most consistent forwards in Europe throughout the last decade; after making a name for himself in Serie A with Napoli, he spent seven years breaking records as the talisman for Paris Saint-Germain, becoming their record scorer in the process with 200 goals from 301 games.
Poachers don't come quite like the veteran Uruguay international anymore, who has proven to be an incredibly smart striker with impressive anticipation, tireless physicality and a knack for scoring goals from just about any angle. He's devilishly handsome, too.
Now donning Manchester United's famous number seven shirt, Cavani has the chance to leave an impact on the English game. In case anyone was in need of a reminder of just how good the 33-year-old is, here's a list of some of his finest performances.
1. Napoli 3-0 Juventus
Scoring one goal against Juventus is special, getting a brace is fantastic, and scoring a hat-trick against the Old Lady is otherworldly.
But completing your trio with a diving scorpion kick?! F*** off now mate, that's just taking the p***.
Cavani's three strikes in this romp against a jaded Juve side were widely reported as being a hat-trick of headers, but if you look closely you'll see that in the final goal the Uruguayan misses the ball with his diving header and instead sends it crashing home with his heel over his head. Incredible stuff.
2. Napoli 4-0 Sampdoria
Just 21 days after putting Juventus to the sword, Cavani was at the treble again.
This time it was against Sampdoria, with the number seven skipping clear to slot home his first before burying a penalty and a tap-in.
3. Napoli 4-3 Lazio (2011)
In his debut season for Napoli, Cavani bagged his third hat-trick of the campaign to pull his side out of the gutter against Lazio.
Having already been 2-0 down, the Uruguayan bagged a header, a penalty that he earned himself, and dinked the keeper to secure a dramatic three points.
No scorpion kicks this time, though.
4. Napoli 3-1 Chelsea (2012)
Proving that he was more than just the goal grabber, Cavani popped up with a tremendous attacking display and proved a constant thorn in the side of Chelsea's defence.
He assisted Ezequiel Lavezzi twice and grabbed one for himself in a selfless performance. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop Chelsea who turned it around in the second leg of the round of 16, and went on to win the competition that season.
Cavani and Lavezzi was a partnership that set Serie A alight.
5. Napoli 3-0 Lazio (2012)
Another day, another hat-trick against Lazio.
This time, Napoli were a different beast and Cavani was quickly becoming their hottest commodity.
Two powerful efforts were topped off with him rounding the keeper to make it three, in another flawless game for the electric Uruguayan.
6. Uruguay 2-2 Italy (2013)
In the 2013 Confederations Cup third place play-off, Cavani was again ran the show.
Italy couldn't keep him down and out as he equalised twice to keep his country in the tie, sending the game to penalties. He bagged his but Uruguay went on to lose, although he literally could've done nothing more.
His incredible performance was recognised with a man of the match award.
7. Bastia 0-4 Paris Saint-Germain (2015)
A few years on and Cavani had made the big-money move to the French capital, but had to compete for his spot alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
It made many lose sight of just how lethal he was, and he proved it in the final of the 2015 Coupe de la Ligue when he came off the bench and scored a brace that showed his range of skills. He nodded home a fantastic header, before running onto a through ball and giving the keeper the eyes to bag his second.
8. Auxerre 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain (2015)
After his double in the Coupe de la Ligue, Cavani proved to be the difference in a tense Coupe de France final.
A patient, poacher's game saw him bag the only goal and eventual winner just over an hour in, securing Les Parisiens an incredible domestic treble with an absolute bullet header.
9. Caen 0-6 Paris Saint-Germain (2016)
Four goals in one game. Four.
It's always a spectacle when a player pulls off a haul as ridiculous as this, no matter the opposition. It's even more absurd knowing that Cavani did it all in the first half.
Everything he touched turned to gold.
10. Angers 0-5 Paris Saint-Germain (2017)
Two fine goals against Angers reminded the world just how good Cavani is in front of goal. He inspires the forwards around him and can make a goal out of virtually nothing.
He showed his dynamism in this one, running the channels and keeping defenders in the box on their toes. The first was a whipped effort on his first touch, while the second was smashed into the top corner from the right flank.
The brace put him into an elite category, becoming only the third player to score 100+ goals in two of Europe's top five leagues.