The History Of Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva was born on October 7, 1976 in Lagoa da Prata, Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is commonly known as Gilberto Silva.
Biography
Early life
As a child Gilberto lived in the city of Lagoa da Prata with his father (a blacksmith), his mother (a housewife) and three sisters. His family lived in a small house which his father built, in the district of Usina Luciania. Despite financial hardship, causing his sisters and him to share a single room, he had a relatively carefree childhood: he describes it as "[a time when] I had no responsibility in my life, I played football on the street with cousins and friends, and we never had any contact with drugs or violence". In 1988 (aged 12), he got the chance to break out of poverty by playing football, joining América Mineiro as a youth player. It was during these years at América Mineiro that Gilberto was taught defensive discipline by playing as a central defender. When not playing football, Gilberto was taught furniture making skills by his father, which he would come to use in the following years. In 1991, Gilberto's father retired leaving the fifteen year old to provide financially for his whole family, a task made more difficult by his mother's ill-health.
Because of the low wage at América Mineiro, he was forced to quit football to take various jobs as a labourer, a carpenter, and a worker in a sweet factory. It looked as if this would be the end of his childhood dream. As a factory-worker Gilberto earned the equivalent of about £50 a month by 2002 rates. After three years of working in a factory, the 18 year old decided to try his luck at football again by enrolling in the local club's youth academy. His time in the academy did not last for long due to the worsening situation at home as a result of his mother's ill health; he returned to work in the sweet factory with little hope of resurrecting his football career.
Early career
In 1997, Gilberto's friends tried to convince him to give football another try; something which led to him re-signing for América Mineiro on June 1, 1997, this time as a full-time professional. Aged 21, Gilberto played as a central defender for the first team. During his first season for América Mineiro he was regarded as a key player by the club, despite being criticised by some fans for inconsistency. He helped them win the Série B division, and consequently gained promotion to Série A.
During Gilberto's third season at América Mineiro (the club's second season in Série A) he played 20 games and scored one goal, helping the club to finish runners up in the league. In 2000, aged 24, he joined rival club Atlético Mineiro. In his first season for the club, he fractured his right tibia and, as a result, missed a number of games. In his second season, he was moved by the manager Carlos Alberto Parreira from central defence to a defensive midfield role where he flourished. He scored three goals in the 2001 season and became a revelation in Brazilian club football.
In October 2001, his good performances from that year earned Gilberto a call-up to the Brazilian national team ("A Seleção") by Luiz Felipe Scolari for the 2002 World Cup qualification games. He made his international debut against Chile on October 7, coming on as a substitute. On November 7, he made his debut in the starting line-up of the national team against Bolivia. His international career continued to flourish in early 2002: he scored twice against Bolivia and once against Iceland. In 2002, he was a surprise inclusion in the Brazil squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He was expected to play a bit part in the tournament. However, defensive midfielder and Brazilian team captain Emerson was injured in training just before the first World Cup game. In light of the setback, coach Scolari called upon Gilberto to fill the gap which Emerson left. Gilberto ended up playing in every minute of every match of the tournament, which Brazil went on to win. In the words of Veja magazine, Gilberto "carried the piano for Ronaldo and Rivaldo to play their tunes on". He wasn't without attacking use either, setting up Ronaldo's semi-final goal to put Brazil through to the final. It was Gilberto's performance in this tournament which led to him being classed as one of the top defensive midfielders in the world.
Senior career
Gilberto's performance in the 2002 FIFA World Cup caught the attention of many coaches. Gilberto expressed a desire to move to England, saying, "It would be fantastic to play against the likes of David Beckham again." As a result, Aston Villa and Arsenal led the chase to sign him. In August, while still under contract to Atlético Mineiro, Gilberto joined Arsenal on their pre-season tour of Austria; while he had not yet signed for Arsenal the deal looked set to go ahead. However, complications arose when a transfer embargo was placed on Atlético Mineiro due to unpaid wages to some players at the club, including Gilberto. There was also an issue of obtaining a UK work permit for Gilberto. Despite the complications, Gilberto ended a summer of speculation and joined Arsenal on August 7, 2002 for a fee of £4.5 million. Upon signing Gilberto, Arsenal manager Arsené Wenger said, "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."
When Gilberto moved to England and began training with Arsenal, he bought a house in St Albans, South Hertfordshire. Having been used to life in small Brazilian towns, he initially struggled to adapt to the new way of life in London. However, on the pitch, he settled in very quickly. On August 11, 2002 he made his Arsenal debut as a substitute against Liverpool in the second half of the FA Community Shield game in which he scored the winning goal. As the 2002-03 Premiership season began, Gilberto faced stiff competition for a place in midfield from compatriot Edu. After two substitute appearances Gilberto finally broke into the starting eleven on August 27, helping Arsenal to a 5-2 win against West Bromwich Albion. Gilberto's good form continued as he set a new record for the fastest goal scored in the UEFA Champions League, scoring after 20.07 seconds against PSV Eindhoven on September 25, 2002. However, his legal problems continued, since his transfer to England still was not fully resolved. As a result Gilberto instructed his lawyers to start legal proceedings against Atlético Mineiro for unpaid wages in November 2002. Atlético Mineiro were alleged to have only paid Gilberto 50% of his fee for moving to Arsenal. For the second half of the 2002-03 season, he remained a regular starter in the Arsenal side. Even though he suffered a lapse in form towards the end of the season, he won an FA Cup winner's medal, playing in the final at the Millennium Stadium as Arsenal beat Southampton 1-0.
was an even better season for Gilberto, as he was instrumental in helping Arsenal win the FA Premier League title whilst going the entire season unbeaten. He played in 32 of Arsenal's 38 unbeaten Premiership games during the season. His next season started equally impressively, as he scored the first goal in Arsenal's 3-1 FA Community Shield win over Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium. During the opening games of the season, he started to experience severe pain in his back, and after a match at Bolton on September 27, 2004, a scan revealed he had fractured his back. At first it was reported that he would be out of action for a month. Later reports suggested the injury could be season-threatening.
Gilberto's doctor ordered him to wear a back brace for three months to aid the healing of the fractured bone. Gilberto returned to his native Brazil for the duration of his rehabilitation. During his time there, he doubted whether he would ever be able to play football again, due to speculation that his injury could threaten his career. Despite his concerns, his long rehabilitation time paid off as he made a full recovery. He made his footballing comeback in Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Norwich City on April 22, 2005. During the whole 2004-05 season, Gilberto was injured for 7 months and played only 17 games. His absence, combined with Arsenal's slump in form at the time, led to much discussion regarding the importance of Gilberto to the Arsenal team; some suggesting that Arsenal struggled without him. Gilberto's difficult 2004-05 season ended in consolation as Arsenal finished runners-up in the Premiership and won the FA Cup against Manchester United on penalties. During the summer which followed, on June 22, 2005, Gilberto played in Brazil's 1-1 draw against Japan, in his only game of the 2005 Confederations Cup. His absence as a first team regular could be explained by his lack of games, and thus match fitness, for Arsenal during the season leading up to the tournament. Gilberto's appearance in the tournament gained him a winners medal, as Brazil went on to win the competition.
In June 2005, football agent Jacques Lichtenstein took Atlético Mineiro to court over Gilberto's transfer in 2002. Lichtenstein's lawyer argued that he and his informal partner, Ronny Rosenthal, never received an allegedly agreed 10% commission from Gilberto's £4.5 million transfer to Arsenal from Atlético Mineiro in July 2002. Arsène Wenger and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein both gave evidence in court, saying that Arsenal dealt directly with Atlético Mineiro and that no agent was involved in the deal. The case was conducted before The Hon. Mr Justice Jack, who on June 29 ruled against Jacques Lichtenstein, and ordered the claimants pay Atletico Minéiro £94,000 in legal costs. A year later, the case could have caused problems for Arsenal, when former player Ashley Cole criticised the club for "hypocrisy and double standards" in the way they approached Gilberto.
With legal matters subsided, the 2005-06 season began. Following midfielder and team captain Patrick Vieira's departure from Arsenal, Gilberto became a senior member of the Arsenal team. Shortly into the season, in September 2005, his desire to see his career out with the club led to Gilberto extending his Arsenal contract to June 2009. A month later this loyalty was repaid when, on October 18, 2005, Gilberto made his first appearance for Arsenal as captain, against Sparta Prague. Although Gilberto had a period of bad form during the winter months of the season, his good defensive performances during the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League (in particular, games against Real Madrid, Juventus FC and Villarreal CF) gained him praise. On May 17, 2006 Gilberto played for Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Final against FC Barcelona, which Arsenal lost 2-1. During the summer which followed the 2005-06 season, AC Milan and Olympique Lyon were both rumoured to have expressed an interest in signing Gilberto. Neither clubs followed up with official offers. On the back of his good Champions League form, Gilberto was selected for the Brazil national football team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Gilberto was substituted on in two games, and started twice due to another injury to Emerson. Brazil were beaten 1-0 by France in the quarter final. Following Brazil's World Cup disappointment, midfielder Juninho called for the older members of the Brazil squad (including Gilberto) to retire from international football. On the back of Gilberto's childhood idol Dunga being appointed Brazil coach, Gilberto did not take Juninho's advice, and has continued his international career.
Following the departure of defender Sol Campbell and retirement of striker Dennis Bergkamp in the summer of 2006, Gilberto was announced as Arsenal's vice-captain for the 2006-07 season. He began the season well, as he scored the first ever goal at the Dutch DSB Stadion in a pre-season friendly. He then went on to score Arsenal's first ever goal in a competitive match at the Emirates Stadium, in a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. The first half of the season turned out to be his most illustrious in front of goal. From August to December, Gilberto scored eight goals for Arsenal, and garnered praise for his performances as stand-in captain while Thierry Henry was injured.
Gilberto has indicated that after his current contract finishes at Arsenal he may return to Brazil to play club football. He has also stated, "I would like to live in a small farm and ride a horse and have all of my family next to me."
His story continues today.
This text was written by me, and a copy of it can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Silva. While I am the author; all the text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
