Ignacio Saavedra

Ignacio Antonio Saavedra Pino (born 12 January 1999) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Russian club Sochi.

Beginnings
Ignacio was born into a family linked to sports. At six years old, he started participating in the Colo-Colo Academy, and at 13 he moved to the youth ranks of rivals Universidad Católica. His talents quickly caught the attention of both club and nation, getting called up to the Chile U20 squad.

Universidad Católica
After the arrival of the Spanish coach Beñat San José, Saavedra made his professional debut on August 4, 2018, in a match against Everton. He played 88 minutes in a 2–1 win. From there on, he has maintained a steady flux of starts in the defensive midfield position, amassing 131 official career appearances with the club.

Sochi
On 24 January 2024, Saavedra signed a contract with Russian Premier League club Sochi.

International career
He represented Chile U17 at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, reaching the second stage and proving his reliability by playing all the matches. At under-20 level, Saavedra represented Chile in the 2018 South American Games, winning the gold medal.

At senior level, after being called up to some training microcycles by both Reinaldo Rueda and Martín Lasarte, making his international debut in the friendly match against Bolivia on March 26, 2021, at the 87th minute.

Honours

 * Universidad Católica
 * Primera División: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
 * Supercopa de Chile: 2019, 2020, 2021


 * Chile U20
 * South American Games Gold medal: 2018