Invisiblewall.net: Gilberto Silva News

After just seven months of Gilberto working at Panathinaikos in Greece as Sporting Director, he has left the club.

He had been finding it hard to adapt to club life not as a player. In this interview with Goal.com, he told the website:

“It is a real challenge being a sports director,” Gilberto told Goal in his scenic office overlooking the Hymettus mountain in Athens. “It’s the first time I’m in this job and you have to understand how everything works very quickly.

“I came to the club at the end of last season and didn’t know much about the previous campaign and gave the best support I could to find the right players and balance in the team. There are a lot of challenges in the club and you have to slowly overcome them but I’m enjoying it so far.”

It sounds like the difficulty of the job led to him stepping down in his role.

President of the club, Yannis Alafouzos, asked Gilberto to become a club ambassador to keep him at the club, but Gilberto declined.

In a statement on the Panathinaikos website, the club said:

Panathinaikos FC and Gilberto Silva have come to an agreement to terminate their contract by mutual consent. During his time as sporting director he honored the club by representing it.

We say farewell to one of the greatest men of football to have ever been associated with our Club. His status and the longevity of his relationship with Panathinaikos make him a permanent part of our history and this will never change.

We wish Gilberto every success to his future endeavors whatever they may be.

Gilberto Silva has re-joined his former club as technical director.

The statement from Panathinaikos is as follows:

“Panathinaikos welcomes Gilberto Silva back to the family.

“Starting from today and for the following three years, our Brazilian former player has been assigned as the new football director of our Club!

“Panathinaikos FC announces the beginning of its collaboration with Gilberto Silva. Gilberto signed a three year contract and is the new football director of the team.”

Gilberto played for the Greek club between 2008 and 2011, and is now Director of Football. What exactly is a Director of Football, anyway?

“The technical director looks after a whole host of things that offer an element of continuity above and beyond the to-ing and fro-ing of individual managers. The role tends to include, and this is by no means a comprehensive list: responsibility for and the overseeing of the academy, the training ground, the infrastructure, medical, physiotherapy, conditioning, fitness, nutrition, hydration, rest, well being, and culture and behavioural standards within the club.”

The direction that Gilberto would take in his post-playing career was unclear for a while, but it’s interesting to see that Gilberto is moving towards the more back-office side of club football – rather than the player-coaching side. It’ll be interesting to see how his role develops.

Gilberto Silva has announced his retirement from football.

“As of today, I have ended my career as an athlete. It’s a difficult decision.

“Worldwide, we do not ask to be born. When we are born, we do not want to die. I’ve heard a phrase that says footballers die twice. I disagree. I think the football player dies once, and makes a transition from the field to a new stage. For me, it’s a time of transition, not a first death.

“No matter how painful it may be — it’s a moment that could be seen as a sad, difficult time — but I see it with great joy. I’ve enjoyed 20 years of great joy. That’s what it has been for me and my family.”

Over the past two years, Gilberto has spent time in Brazil struggling with a bad knee injury.

Unable to play, he has been working prominently on TV for ESPN. He has also spearheaded the Bom Senso FC movement (Good Sense FC) which campaigns for rights and improvements to standards for professional footballers of big clubs in Brazil.

Following a legal dispute with Atletico Mineiro, he was destined to return to his childhood club, América Mineiro, to see out his career. Hut having realised that his knee will never mend, he has opted to throw the towel in.

Clearly, he has a future as a spokesperson in the game, but what else is there? In 2014, Arsenal offered Gilberto the opportunity to do coaching qualifications and work with the club. He declined because he hadn’t yet retired from playing, so he may end up back in London working in Wenger’s setup – this time the other side of the touch line.

Another option for Gilberto would be to join América Mineiro as director of sport – something which the club’s president has suggested himself.

There must just so much he can do – and so much value he can offer clubs and younger players.

This fan congratulates Gilberto on his amazing playing career, and wishes him the best of luck in the next chapter of his career and life.

Gilberto has written an article for The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/feb/10/brazil-football-gilberto-silva-common-sense-fc

“Footballers in Brazil earn an average of £350 a month. More than 1,000 have formed a union to protest against their low pay and poor working conditions.”

The ‘ultras‘ in Brazil are a step up in size and ferocity that dwarfs those in England and Italy. If a player misses a penalty in the Brazilian Championship that costs his team a game, death threats are a routine part of the game.

The movement has been praised by players, but some writers have criticised the union as “selfish” because some footballers are paid so much. Gilberto counters that only 1% of players are paid significantly more than the minimum wage in Brazil.

In addition to this, Gilberto can hardly be called ‘selfish’. He will be playing in the Brazilian league for only two more years realistically. He has little to gain from such a union; he simply wants to see an improvement in safety and conditions for future players.

Any progress he manages to effect will surely see the standard of players from Brazil improve; an outcome that fans from across the world will benefit from.

From the Sambatfoot:

Gilberto Silva still does not know whether he will continue at the Belo Horizonte club this season. The veteran’s contract terminated at the end of 2013 but Atlético have until now opted not to open talks about renewing the contract.

During his holidays in England, the 2002 World Cup winner spent some time training with former club Arsenal, where he played for six years.

“It’s the first time in my career that one of my contracts has finished with my next steps still uncertain. But it’s no problem, because, following the Club World Cup, Atlético returned to Brazil and I went on holiday in Europe. I’ll see what happens this week,” said the player as he arrived back in Belo Horizonte.

The player, who can play at either centre-back or in a holding midfield role, has made no secret of his desire to remain at the Galo and the club has first refusal in any contract negotiations with the player.

“The priority is Atlético, because that’s what my contract stipulates. Everybody knows that my wish is to stay here. Now the decision is in the hands of the club. I believe that this week we will know what’s happening, and I will take things from there. If Atlético don’t want me any more then I will see what options are available.”

It is interesting to guess where Gilberto might end up. Hopefully a club in or near Belo Horizonte – so he can remain close to his family?

After returning to his former club Atlético Mineiro for the past year, Gilberto Silva’s contract has not been renewed.

It is apparently a decision by the board as opposed to the decision by coach Paulo Autuori.

Gilberto played 9 games for Mineiro during the season in all competitions, but suffered two injuries which kept him sidelined for months at a time.

Despite his injury, he did play a prominent leadership role at Mineiro from the sidelines; but this alone was not enough to secure him a new deal.

This makes Gilberto a free agent for the time being.

There must be a lot of lower-league Brazilian clubs who would be extremely happy to pay Gilberto to play a few games next year.

How about América MG, his club from years ago?

Read more at Sambafoot

Gilberto was on ESPN Brazil talking about his career with Arsenal.

Here is a transcript of what he said:

2002-3 was my first season in England. We lost the league to Manchester United with eight rounds to the end of the tournament with a twelve point gap. When we drew away with Blackburn, it looked like everyone forgot how to play football. It was a general failure. For the following season, things went differently. But aside from the individual skills we had, and when everybody played on the same tempo, it was great. But what was special during the season was when we went to the matches, we were certain we were going to win the games.

The reason that made me leave was a conversation I had. He called me during a training session. I had already accepted – well, “accepted” – that I wasn’t in the starting line up. But I was just waiting for an opportunity. And he told me that if I had an opportunity to leave, he wouldn’t oppose. Then I realised it was time to go.

Some news sources have spun this as ‘Gilberto was kicked out of Arsenal’; but really, it is standard of the way that Wenger has always dealt with players. When they are no longer in his long term plans, he tells them very early and gives them time to find another club rather than sit on the bench unhappily.

Andrew Allen wrote a wonderful article about Gilberto Silva on his blog, The False Nine.

It recounts Gilberto’s career focusing on the challenges that he faced in his early career and how he overcame them.

At the start he also references a very poorly edited video from Invisiblewall.net from years ago:

In an informal interview conducted seven years ago with his own unofficial fan site, Gilberto Silva was asked what advice he’d pass on to his younger self should the chance hypothetically present itself. Before answering he can be seen pausing for thought before quietly asserting in his delightfully lilting English, “Believe.”

The article really highlights what makes Gilberto Silva unique in the footballing world. He certainly was he part of two of the most praised football teams of all time (Brazil 02, Arsenal 04-03) – and the history books will always remember that. But more importantly, he will always be remembered by those who admired his humility and selflessness.

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has been talking about Arsenal’s recent woes and concluded that the problem is Gilberto Silva. Or rather, a lack of him.

From: http://talksport.com/football/exclusive-adams-urges-wenger-find-new-gilberto-13082957746

Adams told Hawksbee and Jacobs: “The problem with Arsenal in recent years is they have been too open. They are very susceptible to the counter attack.

“Since Gilberto went, that screen has been missing. The balance is all wrong. They are too gung-ho, the full-backs bomb forward and there is no security. That’s the big problem.

“They need to find the player – either in the system or go out and buy him – to go into that holding midfield role. They need someone in there who can break up play when they throw everyone forward.”

“They need to be looking for the next best Gilberto. There’s a kid at Sporting Lisbon, Eric Dier, who’s English, he’s 19, maybe he could fill the gap? He certainly wouldn’t cost £30m or £50m. So can Arsene [Wenger] unearth another one? That’s what I’d be looking for.”

Adams is always an expert behind the microphone, but rarely has he proven himself from the dugout.

Still though, it’s nice to see that Gilberto’s “best player in the universe when he’s not on the pitch” status has been given the Adams stamp of approval – whatever it’s worth!

Following a nasty nose injury in April 2012 (view the pics of his lovely protective mask here), Gilberto sustained injury again in July of 2013.

Super Esportes reported:

Defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva suffered a rupture of the meniscus in his right knee. He will undergo surgery on Friday [August 2nd].

He suffered the injury during the derby with Cruiseiro last Sunday, played during the Brazilian Championship.

Following the surgery, the same site reported on August 2nd that,

Gilberto Silva is doing well after surgery on his right knee to repair the meniscus rupture and small cartilage injury, Atletico Mineiro club doctor Rodrigo Lasmar stated.

“It was fine; a very successful surgery,” he said in an interview with Superesportes.

The recovery period is not set. Gilberto should start work in physical therapy next week.

“The recovery is, in a way, simply to be careful; because it is an injury to the meniscus and cartilage. We expect that at the beginning of the week he will begin physical therapy, “said Lasmar.

Gilberto unfortunately then missed out on playing in the Copa Libertadores final for Atletico Mineiro (which they won).

However, he reported to Invisiblewall.net on Twitter that his knee is “getting better every day”:

@Invisible_Wall cada dia melhor

— Gilberto Silva (@GilbertoSilva15) August 16, 2013

— Gilberto Silva (@GilbertoSilva15) August 16, 2013

At Invisiblewall we wish Gilberto all the best and that he returns to playing for Atletico as soon as possible.