When thinking back to the summer of 2002 it is strange to think that there was some scepticism surrounding the transfer of a certain Brazilian.
Gilberto Silva had just signed for Arsenal for £4.5 million in what would be one of the club’s best pieces of transfer business of the decade. But supporters were dubious. Brazilians had always played in the Premier League as fast paced attackers, not tough tackling defensive midfielders. There was the opinion that Gilberto would soon get found out in the no nonsense rough and tumble of the Premier League.
Gilberto’s move to Arsenal from Atlético Mineiro nearly never happened as Mineiro were put under a transfer embargo for not paying player wages. Ironically, Gilberto was one of the players in question. Luckily for the Gunners this was eventually resolved and after much hoo-ha over obtaining a work permit Gilberto was finally able to put pen to paper.
What followed was a love affair between Gilberto and Arsenal fans that continues to this day. The doubts and questions marks surrounding the 25 year old were banished just 20 minutes into his debut as Gilberto struck the winner in the 2002 Community Shield against Liverpool.
But it wasn’t attacking play that Gilberto is primarily remembered for. Watch every Thierry Henry and Robert Pires goal and you will be amazed at how many of the moves began with a Gilberto tackle. Over the next six years the Brazilian was the anchor in a midfield that could otherwise have been over run.
What makes Gilberto’s success even more remarkable was that he at first he struggled to settle in his new English surroundings.
“London is too big – I confess that I am afraid to be in the city,” he told the BBC a few months into his career in the capital.
Gilberto’s agitation in London comes as no surprise when you learn where he grew up. The tiny Brazilian village of Usina Luciania was his home until his 12th birthday when he left to play football at nearby Lagoa de Prata. Gilberto even gave up playing football in his teenage years and returned to the village to work in a quarry and look after his sick mother.
Gilberto returned to Usina Luciania in 2002 after winning the World Cup. The story of how the whole village shut down for a day to welcome home their hero is as heart warming as they come. Despite the poverty he endured Gilberto always states that his child hood was extremely happy.
Gilberto’s community presence was not only reserved for his childhood home. His local pub in St Alban often hosted a music night where the defensive midfielder would bring his mandolin and entertain the crowds. Since his retirement Gilberto has also been a patron for a charity called The Street League that helps people in need through organised football matches.
It is safe to say that there is no real surprise as to why Gilberto was loved (and still is loved) at Arsenal. In only his second season at the club he was part of the ‘Invincibles’ as the Gunners went through the entire 2003-04 Premier League campaign unbeaten. Gilberto later developed his game and struck ten league goals in 2006-07 to become the club’s second leading goal scorer that season behind Robin Van Persie.
Gilberto Silva is often overlooked when we look back at Premier League greats but the arguments to include him in the list go on and on. A World Cup medal in 2002 was followed by a Copa America triumph in 2007 in which he captained his country to glory. He ended his career back at Atletico Mineiro and upon arriving at the club in 2013 stated that he wanted to win the Copa Libertadores in his final season as a footballer. Guess what? They won it.
A true example of how sometimes good guys do finish first.
