Cristian Pavon's career has taken him across South America and the US, but the former target for big clubs in Europe has struggled to find his best form recently.

Pavon is an attacking player for Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro and made 11 appearances for the Argentina national side.

He spent most of his career with Argentinian giants Boca Juniors, as well as two separate spells on loan with MLS side LA Galaxy 

Pavon won three Argentine Primera Division titles (2015, 2016/17 and 2017/18) with Boca Juniors and the Campeonatio Mineiro with Atletico Mineiro in 2023.

He has also represented his country at senior level at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, as well as at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Making the move to MLS

In August 2019, it was announced that Pavon had signed for LA Galaxy on loan for the rest of the MLS season. He made 11 appearances for the Los Angeles outfit that year.

Pavon had a great impact playing alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, scoring three and assisting six. LA Galaxy finished fifth in the Western Conference and eighth in the overall standings as they lost 5-3 to Los Angeles FC in the Conference semi-finals, a game in which Pavon scored.

Shortly after the culmination of the season, Galaxy secured Pavon's services on loan again for the 2020 campaign, where he played alongside former Manchester United forward Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez.

LA Galaxy were less successful in 2020, finishing 10th in the Western Conference before the season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pavon was in fine form though, scoring eight and assisting three in 19 MLS games.

He also played in all three of Galaxy's games in the MLS Is Back Tournament over the summer, netting twice as they finished bottom of their group behind Portland Timbers, Los Angeles FC and Houston Dynamo.

He returned to Boca Juniors as Galaxy were unwilling to pay the $20million asking price to sign him permanently.

He returned to Boca Juniors in 2022, before joining Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro on a free transfer in July 2022, where he won the Campeonato Mineiro in his second season.

Argentina career

Pavon was capped three times at U-17 level for Argentina, with all three appearances coming in the 2013 U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. They finished fourth in the tournament, losing to Mexico 3-0 in the semi-finals. He also played in two of Argentina's three group games in the 2015 U-20 World Cup.

With the attacker continuing to impress for Boca Juniors, he was drafted into the U-23 squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

Pavon started in two of their three group games. Argentina finished level on four points with Honduras, but they were knocked out as their rivals had a slightly better goal difference.

Pavon was named in Jorge Sampaoli's 23-man senior squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but it was not a great tournament for Argentina. They narrowly progressed into the knockout stages by a solitary point, with Pavon coming off the bench in all three games. He then started as they lost 4-3 to France in the Round of 16.

Keeping out of the public eye

Pavon was born in Cordoba, Argentina, on January 21, 1996. His parents are Veronica Campos and Walter Pavon. 

In 2020, Pavon was accused of rape by a woman back home in Argentina, claims he has denied. He has countered by calling on a judge to charge his accuser with extortion after the allegations were made public. 

Net worth

Pavon is represented by Fernando Hidalgo, the former Ecuadorian soccer player who is now his agent. During his spell at LA Galaxy, it is believed that Pavon was earning around $26,500 per week.