Gilberto Aparecido da Silva, or just Gilberto Silva, to you and I
“What I like was the fact that he kept things simple. He can play all across the midfield but the holding role just in front of the defence is what he does best.” – Arsene Wenger.
Born on the 7th of October 1976 in Lagoa da Prata in Brazil, Gilberto grew up with his father who was a blacksmith and mother who was a housewife, as well as 3 sisters, and living in a poor family meant that Gilberto’s dream of playing football would not only be a good thing for him, but for his family too.
Being able to go out on the streets and play football was a huge part of Gilberto’s life, and playing with his friends and cousins gave him the opportunity to grow his abilities because as he grew up, he was not surrounding by any drugs, gangs or any type of violence or criminality, and it was because of this that at the age of 12 in 1988, Gilberto was given his chance in football as America Mineiro came knocking and wanted to bring him into the youth academy.
During his time at America Mineiro, Gilberto was taught the art of defensive play and discipline as he was playing at centre back for several years at youth level. Things were going well for Gilberto and his youth career looked to be going in the right direction until his father decided to retire in 1991 which meant that 15-year old Gilberto was left to provide money for the entire family, something that could not be done whilst playing football for Mineiro due to low wages. The young Brazilian’s hand was forced and after quitting football, he decided that the only way to gain an income for his family would be to do labour jobs, which saw him become a carpenter and a factory worker in this time.
America Mineiro
In 1997, 6 years after first quitting football at youth level to provide money for his family, Gilberto’s friends persuaded him to get back into football in he re-signed for America Mineiro on June 1st 1997 but this time skipping the youth and reserve teams and going straight into the first team on a professional contract.
At the age of 22, Gilberto’s passion for football never deteriorated during his time out of the game and in his first season with Mineiro as a full-time professional, he played a key role in the club’s progress over the years that he was there and, despite the fans criticising him for inconsistent performances, he still managed to help the club win the Série B division, an accomplishment that relished by the club as they were set to play in Série A the following year.
The following season in Série A, the form drop dramatically as it does with most teams who gain promotion to the top division, no matter where in the world the league is, and Mineiro found themselves relegated from the division that season, but Gilberto’s form stayed at a level high enough to impress the other teams in the division and finally, the clubs fans.
In his third season in Brazil for America Mineiro, he managed a total of just 20 games that season scoring one goal, but his performances were still on the rise from the previous season in Série A which was attracting a lot of attention from clubs abroad as well as in Brazil.
Atletico Mineiro
In the year 2000, Gilberto Silva joined America Mineiro’s rivals Atletico Mineiro, a deal that did not go down well with America’s fans as they hurled abuse at the Brazilian for jumping ship to join the clubs fierce rivals, remind you of anyone, Arsenal fans?
It was at Atletico that Gilberto was moved from a central defensive position to a role in the heart of the clubs midfield, where he felt most at home and showed that in his performances for club and country, most notably for Brazil in the World Cup of 2002.
Gilberto and Kaka kissing the World Cup in 2002. I’m not sure what Lucio is trying to do to it though?
Due to his stand-out performances in the World Cup in 2002, he expressed a desire to play his football in England with Aston Villa and Arsenal being the main contenders for his signature, but it was Arsenal that he chose to join and in the summer that year, whilst still under contract at Atletico Mineiro, he joined Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Austria, sparking rumours that the players signature would be imminent for Arsenal, and the league would have a new Brazilian on board. But, as the rumours picked up pace about him signing for Arsenal, it was not as smooth as it seemed and the transfer saga dragged out all summer long until the 7th of August and it was because of money complications at Atletico as well as trying to obtain a work permit, that stuttered the Brazilians move to the Gunners.
Thumbs up for Gilberto!
£4.5million was the fee that Arsenal agreed to pay for Gilberto and upon signing for the North London club, Arsene Wenger said that he was pleased with the signing of Gilberto, saying “He can play all across the midfield but the holding role just in front of the defence is what he does best.” The defensive midfield role is a position that Gilberto was most comfortable playing in and he excelled in his abilities after joining Arsenal, his discipline in defensive positions grew immensely and he saw a whole new dimension come into play whilst at Arsenal.
Gilberto, coming from a small town in Brazil, initially struggled to adapt to life in London, the large lifestyle of London life was overwhelming for Gilberto Silva at first, but after buying a house in St Albans, South Hertfordshire, he soon adapted to the lifestyle as well as the English Premier League, the intensity and power was something he relished in his later years at Arsenal.
Gilberto Silva scoring on his debut for Arsenal against Liverpool
Making his debut for Arsenal in August of 2002, he came on as a substitute to score the winning goal in the FA Community Shield against Liverpool in front of 67,337 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which ended 1-0 with Martin Keown receiving the Man of the Match award as well as Arsenal having 56% of the possession to Liverpool’s 44%, and the Arsenal faithful immediately took to their new midfielder, and hoped for more important performances from the Brazilian on the pitch in the years to come. The Premier League season kicked off and Gilberto faced competition for his spot in the team from fellow Brazilian teammate Edu, who also played in a similar position to Gilberto, but after two appearances from the bench, Gilberto impressed Arsene enough to make the Frenchman start him in the team and after doing so, on the 27th of August, Gilberto helped Arsenal trash West Brom 5-2. (I like that scoreline, not sure why though….)
A few weeks later, on the 25th of September, Arsenal were up against PSV in the Champions League and after just 20 seconds on the clock, Gilberto popped up inside the box after making a great run from midfield to tap in a pass from Thierry Henry, which saw the Brazilian set a new record for the fastest goal scored in the UEFA Champions League.
Gilberto’s first season at Arsenal saw him become instrumental in the clubs first team lineup and after playing 51 games in all competitions for the Gunners, he quickly cemented his position in the team and stamped out any thoughts that he may have had about him being uncomfortable with London life. As well as the 51 appearances, Gilberto managed to rake in 3 goals for the Gunners with 28 shots, 8 of those on target and 2 assists, picking up just 1 yellow card, which mean Gilberto saw a level of discipline introduced to his game in a role that would see most players pick up numerous yellow cards in one season.
Gilberto’s first taste of silverware in the Arsenal colours came at the end of that season as the club were awarded the FA Cup after beating Southampton 1-0 thanks to a goal from Robert Pires on the 38th minute in front of 73,726 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The Invincible team
The unbeaten season of 2003-2004 saw Gilberto turn out arguably some of his greatest ever performances on the football pitch, starting 29 Premier League games and coming on off the bench just 3 times meant that Gilberto’s ability to bring an immediate halt to the oppositions attack and his tackling and defensive abilities he become one of the key pieces in the Arsenal ‘invincible’ jigsaw, perhaps overshadowed by the ever-strong presence of Patrick Vieira, the Frenchman was seen as the key figurehead in the Arsenal midfield, but Gilberto’s performances that season were just as good as the Arsenal captain’s were. There is no arguing that Patrick was the better all-round midfielder in that team, but Gilberto was very important to that Arsenal team that year, somewhat a ‘unsung hero’.
Raking in 4 goals, 1 assist and 27 shots with 8 on target in all competitions, Gilberto was certainly not one for bringing in the goals in the Arsenal team, as he was developing even further his footballing skills and knowledge of the game. His reading of the game and tackling skills were always improving during this time and it was his passion for the game and the know-how of how to play the perfect defensive game that helped him and Arsenal that season.
After the season that nobody thought was possible in the modern game except the Arsenal players and the manager, the season started with the FA Community Shield, a game that Arsenal beat Manchester United in 3-1, with Gilberto opening the scoring on the 50th minute, which was soon after cancelled out by Alan Smith on the 55th minute, which, yet again, was cancelled out, as Jose Antonio Reyes scored just 3 minutes later to make it 2-1, and the final goal of the game came from a Manchester United player, Mikael Silvestre, who scored an unfortunate own-goal on the 79th minute, a game watched by around 63,317 fans at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on August 8th 2004.
Gilberto in the FA Cup final in 2005.
Gilberto’s form and game time was soon to be cut short due to sudden sharp back pains early on in the season, and scans on the player later revealed that he had fractured his back. Almost a year later, after returning to Brazil for the recovery period, Gilberto was back in football and after doubting himself in whether or not he’ll be able to play again, he made his return on the 22nd of April 2005 against Norwich City, a game that Arsenal marked his comeback with an emphatic 4-1 win. Although only playing 17 games in the 2004-2005 season after being injured for 7 months, Gilberto was still determined to come back from his injuries and continue to play at the highest level for as long as his body would allow him. Some Arsenal fans were then starting to think that it was Gilberto’s absence from the first team that sparked a dip in form from the Gunners. Arsenal did, however, finish the season off with the FA Cup in their hands thanks to a penalty shoot-out win with Manchester United in 2005, with Patrick Vieira scoring the winning kick, and Arsenal also finished runners-up in the Premier League.
The following season saw Arsenal lose one of their key players in Patrick Vieira, who left the club following several years as the captain, scoring his final goal for Arsenal in the FA Cup final the season before, winning Arsenal the trophy. His departure saw Gilberto become the main player in the heart of the midfield, winning tackles left right and centre, and in essence, doing Vieira’s job. Gilberto made it known that he wanted to finish his career in London with Arsenal and that led to him signing a new contract which would see him stay at the club until 2009. Soon after, he captained the team against Sparta Prague in the Champions League.
Gilberto Silva scores the first goal at the Emirates Stadium
2006 saw more key Arsenal players leave the club, as Sol Campbell left and Dennis Bergkamp announced his retirement, which meant Gilberto was to become the vice-captain at Arsenal, a decision that went down a storm with the Arsenal faithful as they knew Gilberto was the right man to lead Arsenal. This year also saw Arsenal move into their new home, the Emirates Stadium, and the first goal in the new stadium was scored by non other than Gilberto Silva in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. Gilberto saw the captains armband being passed his way as the usual captain, Thierry Henry, was injured, and this saw Gilberto score 11 goals in all competitions for Arsenal and the Brazilian said that it was thanks to him being captain and stepping up his game as well as taking charge of the penalty taking in Henry’s absence. It was this goalscoring part of Gilberto’s season as well as his performances around the pitch that earned him the praise of the media, fans and manager as one of the best player in the league at the time as well as Arsenal’s key performer that season as he played a total of 47 games in all competitions, totalling 2 assists and 40 shots with 16 of those on target.
Gilberto captaining Arsenal.
Another season passed by and another key Arsenal player left the club, this time it was Frenchman Thierry Henry who left to join Barcelona after a heartfelt message saying goodbye and ‘thank you’ to the Arsenal fans. This was an up and down season for Gilberto as he missed the start of the domestic season because of his involvement with Brazil at the Copa America, and after Henry’s departure, it was rumoured and strongly believed around the club that Gilberto would take the captains armband on a regular basis, but this privileged fell to French defender William Gallas instead, which was perhaps a shock to most fans and Gilberto himself.
Gilberto soon found himself out in the cold at Arsenal as he spent the majority of the season on the bench because of a certain young French midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who impressed Arsene enough to make him the regular defensive midfielder ahead of Gilberto. Speculation that he would soon leave the club was fuelled by the rumours flying around the club that he had fallen out with Arsene Wenger after being asked to play in defence in a game against Sheffield United in the League Cup but did end up playing in the midfield, and despite the rumours of the player and the manager having a stale relationship, both parties denied this and football resumed as normal (thankfully!). However, Gilberto was not happy that he was being left on the bench because of Flamini playing ahead of him, which also saw him lose another captains spot, this time in the national team to defender Lucio who came back from injury.
In the 2007-2008 season, Gilberto played 34 games in total in all competitions for Arsenal that season despite some people saying he was out of favour with the manager, and he also contributed just 1 goal and 2 assists in that time. In 2008, after starting fewer games at Arsenal, he admitted that he felt left out and made to feel “totally useless” by Arsene Wenger, something that did not go down well with the coach, and the midfielder was called into the manager’s office to hold talks over his playing time in London. In a time that saw Gilberto struggle to hold down a spot in the Arsenal team, he suddenly found himself in the centre of the midfield again and started 5 games in a row, something he and the fans were not expecting due to his earlier exclusion from the team.
Due to Arsenal’s lack of silverware, there were rumours flying about the club that key players, including Gilberto, would leave at the end of the season and that Arsenal would have to fight to keep hold of those players if they were to achieve success any time soon. French midfielder Flamini left for Italian club AC Milan which left a gap in the Arsenal midfield which in turn made it look increasingly likely that Gilberto Silva would not actually leave the club, but would instead stay on to fill the void left by Flamini and finally regain his regular spot in the starting line-up.
This was not to be and as Arsenal’s season came to a close against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on the 11th of May 2008, Gilberto played his last game for Arsenal in that 1-0 away win, picking up one assist and 3 shots in the game.
Gilberto Silva starts a new chapter in his footballing career, as he signs for Panathinkaikos in 2008.
Following his spell at Arsenal which lasted 6 years, in which he made 237 appearances with 24 goals, Gilberto signed for Greek club Panathinkaikos on the 17th of July 2008, it was not a spectacular three years by any means for Gilberto, but he helped the club reach the last 16 of the Champions League in his first season and made 91 appearances in his time at the club, helping them win the Greek Championship and the Greek Cup in 2009-2010 as well. Gilberto did however play in his favoured role for the club, as a holding midfielder, and he was still as solid as he was in his younger days at Arsenal, putting in several man of the match performances.
His final game for the club came in a 2-0 win over AEK Athens in the league and he ended yet another chapter in his career.
It’s all thumbs up and smiles for Gilberto as he moves back to Brazil!
After nearly a decade in European football, he signed an 18-month deal with Brazilian club Gremio, after several years earlier he hinted that he could one day return to Brazil to finish his career. 88 games later for Gremio, his contract was up and the club decided not to renew his stay at the club so the Brazilian midfielder made his return to Ateltico Mineiro on the 9th of December 2012.
After returning to the club he played at 11 years beforehand, they won the 2013 Copa Libertadores and his impact on the team was immediate and he is still, to this day, putting in strong performances for the club and is still as determined as ever not to let his age affect his ability to play the game he loves.
I think we’ll just call this part of my blog ‘Memory lane’, so here goes!
Memory lane
(I like it!)
I, as ever, asked my Twitter followers a question on Gilberto Silva, asking them:
“What’s your favourite memory of Gilberto Silva?”
They said..
@amullings87: “Champions League.“ – By that I’m guessing he meant this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqsw4NVQ8Z8
@johngonnerafc said: “First appearance winning us the Community Shield vs Liverpool.” – I couldn’t find a video of this, but if you can, tweet it to me here and I’ll be sure to add it!
@lee_oulds said: “Scoring the winner in the Charity Shield. And the fact he wasn’t that spectacular but just a quality, solid player.” –
@UpdatingAFC said: “His first appearance in the Community Shield vs Liverpool when we won! Amazing!“
@kazzapond said: “Him scoring the first league goal for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iABJ1A49Vc
@stephgold: “Scoring the first competitive goal for Arsenal in our new stadium.“
@Crazywalcott2 said..: “Well my favorite memory of Gilberto Sliva was each time he came out through the tunnel with the armband on (unfairly short grief). A good leader and a special player, one that led not just with his words but with his actions on the pitch. During his time at the club, a lot if not all the praises were reserved for Vieira then Fabregas. But he was the unsung hero, some of the reasons why Viera was so good, why Arsenal’s midfield was not easily over run… The great samba Brazil just doesn’t give 70+ caps to anyone if they weren’t brilliant. He is right up there in the history of the club as one of the best if not the best Defensive midfielder of all time.“
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Have your say on Gilberto’s career and tell me what YOUR favourite memory of the Brazilian is, comment below or simply tweet me, I wont bite!
Gilberto Silva.
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P.S, you can thank @ItsPaceyAgain for the idea of what to call this post!
AvalonAFC 
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