Cavani was born in Salto, Uruguay on 14 February, 1987 to Luis Cavani and Berta Gómez. His elder brothers, striker Walter Guglielmone and Christian Cavani, are also professional footballers. Cavani holds an Italian passport as a result of playing in Italy and his Italian heritage; Cavani’s grandparents were originally from Maranello. In 1929, they migrated to Argentina and later to Montevideo.

After his breakthrough at the 2007 South American Youth Championship, several big teams were reportedly interested in signing Cavani, including Juventus and Milan. On 29 January 2007, however, Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini announced the signing of the promising Uruguayan. The bid was officially confirmed on 31 January for €4.475 million. Cavani made his debut on 11 March 2007 in a home league match against Fiorentina, coming on in the 55th minute with his team 0–1 down and scoring an impressive equaliser only 15 minutes later, a goal reminiscent of Marco van Basten’s strike in the 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final. In his second season with the Rosanero, Cavani found himself fighting for a first team place with Fabrizio Miccoli and Amauri.

In January 2007, Cavani was selected to join the Uruguay national under-20 team to play in the 2007 South American Youth Championship in Paraguay. Cavani finished the tournament as top scorer with seven goals in nine games, helping Uruguay to finish in third place, thereby earning them a place in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

After Amauri’s departure to Juventus in June 2008, Cavani cemented his place in the starting lineup, forming a striking partnership with Fabrizio Miccoli and scoring a total 14 goals in the 2008–09 season, earning the nickname “El Matador” due to his composure in front of goal. He retained his place for the 2009–10 season under new boss Walter Zenga, and also under successor Delio Rossi, being instrumental in the team’s successful run in Serie A which took Palermo to European qualification and potential qualification to the UEFA Champions League with two games remaining. In April 2010, he signed a new contract with Palermo valid to June 2014.

On 6 February 2008, Cavani made his first senior appearance for the Uruguayan senior team, scoring in a 2–2 draw with Colombia. He scored from his own area on the counterattack from a corner.

In July 2010, Cavani signed for Napoli. The transfer, however, was a loan of €5 million plus an option/obligation to buy outright for €12 million, which made the total fee €17 million. After debuting for Napoli as a substitute in the previous game, Cavani scored twice in his first start, as Napoli beat Elfsborg in the UEFA Europa League 2–0 and qualified for the main tournament. He then started his Serie A tenure with Napoli in spectacular fashion, scoring a controversial goal against Fiorentina after just seven minutes, with replays showing the ball hardly crossing the line. Cavani also scored on his home debut against Bari before adding a late winner against Sampdoria, meaning he had scored in his first four competitive matches with Napoli.

On 22 June 2010, in the final match of the group stage of the 2010 World Cup, Cavani set-up a goal for Luis Suárez in a 1–0 win over Mexico. Uruguay won Group A and advanced to the knockout stage. On 10 July 2010, he scored against Germany in the third place match to make the score 1–1; Germany went on to win 3–2.

On 8 October 2010, he scored his first international hat-trick in a friendly match against Indonesia, a 7–1 win in Jakarta in which Luis Suárez also scored a hat-trick.

On 26 September, Cavani came on as a late replacement with 30 minutes left in a game against Cesena which Napoli were losing 1–0. After assisting the equalizing goal, he went on to score two more, with the scoreline finishing at 4–1. That meant Cavani shared the lead as top scorer in the league alongside Internazionale’s Samuel Eto’o. Cavani’s partnership with fellow forwards Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamšík led the Italian sporting media to dub them “The Three Tenors” after the famous singing group of the same name. On 15 December, Cavani netted a 92nd-minute goal against Steaua București to help his team to a 1–0 win and progress beyond the group stage of the Europa League. In the first match, which was held on Romanian soil, he had scored an equalizing goal in the 97th minute. On 9 January 2011, Cavani scored a hat-trick during a 3–0 win over Juventus, the third goal coming by way of a diving header. On 30 January, Cavani scored another hat-trick, this time in a 4–0 win over Sampdoria. Cavani continued his fine form scoring a brace against Roma, with Napoli winning 2–0.

On 17 February 2012, Cavani scored two goals against Fiorentina, helping Napoli go in fifth place ahead of Internazionale. On 21 February, Cavani scored the second goal against Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16 first leg in Naples. He also provided the assists for both of Ezequiel Lavezzi’s goals that game. Napoli subsequently went on to win this game 3–1. Following Napoli’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Chelsea, Cavani scored two goals against Udinese in the last ten minutes to earn a much-needed draw to keep Napoli in the hunt for the last Champions League qualifying spot. A few days later, he converted a fantastic counter-attack against Siena to book Napoli a place in the Coppa Italia final. On 21 April, he celebrated his 200th career league appearance by scoring in a 2–0 win against Novara. Cavani finished the league season with 23 goals, tied for third on the goal scoring charts with Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale. On 20 May, Cavani scored a penalty against Juventus in the 2012 Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, which Napoli won 2–0. Cavani finished the tournament as the top goalscorer, with five goals.

On 8 November, Cavani scored all four goals, including a half-volley from outside the box and a tremendous free kick, as Napoli came back from 2–1 down to defeat Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 4–2 in the group stage of the Europa League. Cavani scored a late penalty in the 94th minute to secure a 2–1 victory over Swedish side AIK on 22 November, sending Napoli through to the next round of the Europa League. Cavani was the last player ever to score on the Råsunda Stadium which was the stadium that hosted the 1958 FIFA World Cup final. On 6 January 2013, Cavani netted a perfect hat-trick as Napoli thumped Roma 4–1, gaining ground in the race for the league title as champions Juventus fell to a shock win. Cavani finished the season as leading Serie A goalscorer, with 29 goals, six ahead of Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale in second.

Towards the end of the season, reports emerged that Cavani would leave Napoli, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all believed to be interested. On 27 May 2013, however, he told that he was not thinking of moving, saying, “Real Madrid, Chelsea and [Manchester] City are interested in me? I just think about Napoli.” Nonetheless, he continued, “If an important offer were to come in, I will talk with president [Aurelio] De Laurentiis.” He then paid tribute to his time in Italy, saying, “I’m fine in Italy, I have grown as a man there and as a player with the Serie A experience.” Cavani was asked about the interest Chelsea and Manchester City took in him, saying, “I don’t know if they made an offer for me, I just know that to be coached by someone like [Man City manager] Manuel Pellegrini or [Chelsea manager] José Mourinho would always be a pleasure.” On 23 June, Napoli club president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that Cavani’s reported £53 million “buyout clause expires” on 10 August 2013.

On 16 July 2013, Cavani joined French champions Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract, for a fee believed to be around €64 million, making it the sixth largest transfer in history. The reported sum made Cavani the record signing in French football, breaking Radamel Falcao’s €60 million move to Monaco earlier in the summer, and saw him link up with former Napoli teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi in Paris.

At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, Cavani equalised in the semi-final against the hosts and eventual champions Brazil, who eventually won 2–1. In the match for third place, he equalised twice against Italy, his second goal coming from a free kick, taking the game to penalties. Although Cavani scored his spot kick, Uruguay lost; he was named man of the match for his performance.

On 13 November 2013, Cavani scored the last goal in Uruguay’s 5–0 away win over Jordan in a play-off for the 2014 World Cup. In their first group game of the finals, against Costa Rica in Fortaleza, Cavani opened the scoring with a penalty after Diego Lugano had been pulled down. Uruguay, however, eventually lost 3–1. Uruguay were eliminated by Colombia, following a 2–0 defeat in the round of 16 on 28 June 2014.

Cavani was married to Maria Soledad Cabris Yarrús, with whom he has two sons, Bautista (born 22 March 2011) and Lucas (born 8 March 2013). In 2013, Cavani announced that he and his wife were to get a divorce, following a split between the two the year before. Then he had a daughter, India (born 17 May 2019), with his girlfriend Jocelyn Burgardt.

On 22 January 2014, Cavani scored his 20th goal of the season in PSG’s 2–1 Coupe de France defeat at home to Montpellier. On 2 March, after missing a month of the season with a thigh injury, Cavani scored on his return to the team in a 2–0 win over Le Classique rivals Marseille at the Parc des Princes.

On 19 April, he scored both goals for PSG as they beat Lyon 2–1 in the 2014 Coupe de la Ligue Final. He finished his first season with 25 goals in 43 games across all competitions, including 16 in 30 league games.

Cavani scored a penalty to secure a 3–1 win at Lens on 17 October 2014, and celebrated by shooting an imaginary gun. Referee Nicolas Rainville booked him for this, and sent him off for dissent after Cavani complained about it. PSG club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said to Canal+, “Why did he get the yellow card before? He always celebrates the same way.” On 5 November 2014, it took Cavani 56 seconds to score the only goal of the game against Cypriot club APOEL, a result which put PSG into the Champions League knock-out stage with two games to spare.

In January 2015, Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi were fined and suspended for two matches by PSG manager Laurent Blanc for missing a mid-season training camp in Morocco and the first training session after the winter break. On 11 April, he scored two goals as a second-half substitute for Lavezzi as PSG defeated Bastia 4–0 to win the 2015 Coupe de la Ligue Final. On 8 May, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 defeat of Guingamp, which gave PSG a six-point lead in Ligue 1 with two matches remaining. With the title retained, PSG sealed a domestic treble on 30 May when Cavani headed the only goal of the game – his 31st in all competitions that season – to defeat Auxerre in the Coupe de France final.

Cavani and PSG kicked off the season against Lyon for the 2015 Trophée des Champions on 1 August, with him scoring the second goal of a 2–0 victory. On 21 May 2016, Cavani scored the decisive third goal of PSG’s 4–2 2016 Coupe de France Final win over Marseille to record a second consecutive Ligue 1–Coupe de France–Coupe de la Ligue domestic treble for the club.

On 13 September 2016, in the opening 2016–17 Champions League Group A match against Arsenal at the Parc des Princes, Cavani scored after just 44 seconds had elapsed in the first half by heading in Serge Aurier’s cross from the right for PSG’s fastest-ever Champions League goal. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. On 16 September, Cavani scored four times (his first ever four-goal haul with PSG) in the first half as PSG trounced Caen 6–0 away in a Ligue 1 match to end PSG’s streak of three competitive matches without victory, two of them in Ligue 1. On 30 November, he scored a penalty in a 2–0 home win against Angers to take his Ligue 1 tally to 14 goals in 14 matches, which also saw him become only the fourth player in PSG history to score 100 competitive goals for the club.

Cavani scored one goal in each leg of PSG’s 6–5 aggregate loss to FC Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, taking him to eight goals from eight matches in the season’s competition. On 1 April 2017, he scored two-second-half goals in PSG’s 4–1 win over AS Monaco in the 2017 Coupe de la Ligue Final. On 15 May 2017, he was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year for scoring 35 goals.

Cavani became PSG’s all-time top scorer on 27 January 2018 with a goal in a 4–0 home win over Montpellier. He surpassed Zlatan Ibrahimović’s record with his 157th goal in his 229th match. On 8 May 2018, he scored as PSG won 2–0 against Les Herbiers VF to clinch the 2017–18 Coupe de France.

On 25 August 2018, Cavani played his first game of the season after missing PSG’s first three games following his injury at the 2018 World Cup. The front three of Cavani, Neymar and Mbappé all scored in a 3–1 league win over Angers at home, with Cavani scoring the opener from Neymar’s assist. On 11 November 2018, Cavani scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over AS Monaco in a Ligue 1 match. On 18 December, Cavani scored in PSG’s 2–1 win over US Orléans in the Coupe de La Ligue; this was his 15th goal all-time in the competition, tying Pauleta’s record for most goals in the tournament.

Cavani finished as the top scorer in the CONMEBOL 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, with 10 goals. In March 2018, Cavani was part of the Uruguay squad that won the China Cup. He scored in the 2–0 semi-final win over the Czech Republic, and in the final he scored the only goal against Wales, his 100th cap.

In addition to his goalscoring, he is also known for his ability to create space for his teammates. However, despite being a prolific player, and having a reputation as one of the best strikers of his generation, he has been accused at times in the media of missing an excessive number of chances, and has also been criticised on occasion for his performances in important matches. Although he primarily plays either as a centre forward or as a main striker, he is capable of playing in several offensive positions, and has also been deployed as a supporting striker or as a winger. Writing for The Guardian in 2018, Jorge Valdano remarked upon “the generous endeavour of Cavani, a striker who covers the entire pitch”. Due to his composure in front of goal, Cavani was given the nickname “El Matador” during his time in Italy.

In March 2019, manager Óscar Tabárez included Cavani in the final 23-man Uruguay squad for the 2019 Copa América in Brazil. On 16 June, Cavani scored “an acrobatic bicycle-kick” in a 4–0 win over Ecuador in the team’s opening group match of the tournament; this was his first goal ever in the Copa América. In the quarter-finals against Peru on 29 June, he had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside in regulation time; following a 0–0 draw, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Although Cavani was able to convert his spot-kick, Peru won the shoot-out 5–4, which saw Uruguay eliminated from the competition.

In April 2020, PSG were assigned the 2019–20 Ligue 1 title after the season was ended prematurely due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic; at the time of the League’s suspension, PSG were in first place, with a twelve–point lead over second-placed Marseille. On 13 June, PSG’s sporting director Leonardo revealed that Cavani would be leaving the club at the end of the Champions League campaign in August, alongside his teammate Thiago Silva. However, neither the official announcement of short contract extensions released on 29 June 2020, nor the team roster for the upcoming season featured Cavani.

On 5 October 2020, Cavani joined Premier League club Manchester United on a one-year deal with an option to extend for a further year. He was given the prestigious number 7 shirt. On 24 October 2020, he made his Premier League debut from the bench in a 0–0 draw against Chelsea. On 7 November, Cavani scored his first goal in the Premier League in a 3–1 away win against Everton.