Savinho’s move from Manchester City to Tottenham is one of the richest and most interesting deals of this final stretch of the summer transfer window: the Brazilian winger has joined Spurs for €87 million and could represent a significant upgrade for De Zerbi’s side, especially after their dreadful opening game, a clear 3-0 defeat away to Brentford. Beyond all that, though, his arrival in London has also had an effect on the player’s name: when he was presented as Tottenham’s new signing, Savinho asked to be addressed by his first name, Sávio – his full name, more precisely, is Sávio Moreira de Oliveira.
Tottenham’s official announcement did not explain the change, and neither did the English tabloids, which usually have a field day with this kind of story and are happy to entertain even the more fanciful explanations. The Sun wrote that “it is unclear whether the change reflects superstition, personal preference or simply a fresh start”. There would be nothing particularly unusual, or particularly significant, about it were it not for one tiny detail: two years ago, when he arrived at Manchester City, Sávio made exactly the opposite request. Until then, “Sávio” was the name on the back of his shirt and everyone, commentators included, addressed him that way. But he publicly said that from then on he wanted to be called “Savinho”.
The first name “Sávio” was chosen by his father in honour of a footballer, Sávio Bortolini Pimentel, the Brazilian winger who also played for Real Madrid. “Savinho”, though, was the name used by his mother, to whom he is very close, as well as by the rest of his family and his closest friends. His move to England and Manchester City, after coming through the youth ranks at Atlético Mineiro and spells with PSV and Girona, seemed like an opportunity to return to the past: “In Spain everyone called me Sávio,” he said in his first interview as a City player, “but I like being called Savinho. My mum calls me that, and that’s what I want to be known as from now on.” The story was picked up by newspapers across England and Europe, but now it has been completely turned on its head, and in a sense erased: at Tottenham, we will once again see Sávio. A return to where it all began, perhaps – or perhaps not. Who knows.