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Football workshop for inner-city kids in Kennington Park

from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)

Independent

Silva: how kids can live the dream like me

Champions' League: Modest midfielder who conquered the world is keen to scale Europe's heights with Arsenal

By Alex Hayes
08 December 2002

Such is the ease with which Gilberto Silva has slotted in to the Arsenal midfield this season that many have started to question the theory that foreigners need an acclimatisation period when they arrive on these shores. Or at least that was the case until late afternoon on Thursday, when the highly adaptable World Cup winner turned up at a football workshop for inner-city kids in Kennington Park wearing just a shirt and jeans. Well, at least we now know he is not perfect.

Silva's appreciation of London temperatures in early December may leave a lot to be desired, but his understanding of English football has been flawless. When you look at the quality of his performances in the centre of Arsenal's midfield, it is hard to believe that the Brazilian only arrived at the club in August. More impressive still is the fact that he had no pre-season training to help him adjust to the conditions – Silva had an extended vacation following Brazil's victory in Japan and Korea – and yet has looked completely at ease in his new surroundings.

"What can I say?" he smiles. "I'm just so happy here because I know that I'm in a special club, with special players. This is an experience that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. By winning the World Cup I have achieved the dream. Now I want more at Arsenal."

Those who know him best are not surprised by this adaptability. Even as a child, Silva always dreamed of coming to Europe. So when Arsenal paid out £4.5 million to give him the opportunity to fulfil his life-long ambition, the midfield enforcer was prepared.

"I always loved English football," he says, shivering from the cold. "As a kid, I wanted to come here to play, so I'm so happy. When I first came to England from Brazil I thought the game would be completely dominated by strength and power, but what I have found at Arsenal is that the level of football is also very skilful.

"It doesn't matter where you play in the world, you must have strong players. But the difference between Arsenal and other teams is that we have all-round players who can mix strength with a lot of style and skill. That's why I think Arsenal are so technically and tactically superior."

Silva's impact has been immediate, and yet the Brazilian star remains shy and modest. His decision to support the Street League programme – a charity whose aim is to use football to empower the homeless, disadvantaged and other marginalised groups throughout the UK – is a further indication of his generosity of spirit. How many other World Cup winners would devote the best part of two hours to a football scheme less than 48 hours before the biggest match of their season?

It is rather apt that Silva should be chosen as the figurehead of this project, which will culminate next May with a tour of Brazil. Like many of the children being put through their paces on Thursday, Gilberto Aparecido da Silva was born on the wrong side of the tracks. He learned how to play the beautiful game on the dirty streets of Lagoa da Prata, often having to use whatever spherical object was available to act as a ball.

"In Brazil, football is a culture," the 26-year-old says. "It's a way of life. Everyone goes into the streets to kick anything around. As soon as I could walk, I would go to the fields or the beach and play the game in bare feet. It's helped me stay clear of drugs and crime, and allowed me to make it in life.

That's what I wanted to tell these English kids, 'Follow your dream; never give up on the game. Football is a dream and you must not stop believing. You are here today, but you could be at a professional club tomorrow'. I'm living proof of that, and that's why I'm so happy that these kids have had the chance to see me and touch me. Now they can believe."

Silva knows exactly what living a dream feels like. His emergence has been nothing short of spectacular. A year ago, he was playing for a little-known club and had not represented his country. But then fate intervened when the Brazil captain Emerson dislocated his shoulder in a freak accident in training, and Silva was given his chance.

One year ago, no one had heard of me in Brazil, let alone anywhere else in the world, and now I am a world champion," says the man who appeared in every game during the finals. "It's incredible. Thank God things are happening for me now, but it has not always been easy. I've been through the tough times, but I've learned from that and have become a stronger character. I know what it takes to get to the top."

So he does. At the age of 16 he was forced to abandon his dream of becoming a footballer in order to take up a job to support his parents and three sisters. For three years he toiled from morning to night, first in a quarry and then at a sweet factory, to feed his family. "Although I was only 16 at the time," he says, "it was not a difficult decision for me to make. There was no choice. My family's needs were more important than my own ambitions at the time."

Silva eventually returned to his local club, America, but it was not until his transfer to Atletico Mineiro last November that he made his first appearance for his country. A mere seven months later, his strength and discipline as the defensive anchor of the Brazil midfield gave Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho the freedom to produce their samba football at the World Cup.

The same is happening with Arsenal, where the likes of Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and now even Patrick Vieira can gallop forward safe in the knowledge that the back door is firmly bolted.

Not that Silva is just a defensive shield. His goal against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions' League earlier this season was the fastest ever recorded in the competition at 19.4 seconds. "As far as the fans are concerned I know that winning the Champions' League is a big aim because last season the club won the domestic Double," he says. "We are capable of being the best in Europe, and playing Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos' Real Madrid in the final would be fantastic. Before then, though, we have to get through Valencia and this tough group."

Gilberto was dubbed the Invisible Wall in Brazil after a World Cup in which he served as a no-frills barrier in front of the defence. He may still prefer the low-key approach with Arsenal, but he is certainly not going unnoticed.

(posted 7782 days ago)

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