Goodbye Gilberto Silva (From Gilbertosilver)
43 comments July 18th, 2008
On Wednesday, Aleksandr Hleb completed his £12m move to Barcelona, and the news was greeted primarily with cursory shrugs. Even Arsene Wenger, normally effusive in his praise of departing players, said:
“We are comfortable with our decision to let him go and we are all looking forward to continuing our preparations for the new season ahead.”
Ooooh, cutting. It’s not that Hleb is ‘bad’ at football. His technique was exemplary, but something is obviously missing. When you try and think about the highlights of Hleb’s time at Arsenal, one struggles. This is partially because Hleb scored so few goals (just 11 in three years), and failed to win a trophy during his stay. Perhaps those two facts are not unrelated.
My indifference at Hleb’s departure was in stark contrast to my sadness at the departure a genuine Arsenal stalwart in Gilberto Silva, who has joined Panathainkos for about £1m. The Brazilian will most famously be remembered for being Patrick Vieira’s reliable partner in The Invincibles XI but aswell as his League Championship winner’s medal in 2004, the Brazilian also won the FA Cup twice — in 2003 and 2005 – and the Community Shield in 2002 and 2004. It is an impressive haul.
Gilberto arrived in 2002 as a World Cup winner and immediately gave the side a strategic intelligence they had previously lacked, freeing Patrick Vieira to transform from holding destroyer to roaming playmaker. After Vieira left, Gilberto forged another effective partnership with Cesc Fabregas – although the Brazilian was often the least heralded of our midfield pairings, the work he did was absolutely invaluable.
Possibly Gilberto’s best performances came in his penultimate season at Arsenal, when the absence of Thierry Henry through injury left Silva with both the armband and armfuls of responsibility. He responded like a true leader, with eleven goals and performances that led by example if not charisma.
It was therefore a shock (and a shame) that he was overlooked for the full-time captaincy in favour of William Gallas. After going to the Copa America, he came back to find that his place in the side had also been usurped, this time by Mathieu Flamini. Despite a traumatic year, Gilberto stuck at it like a true pro, and came back into the fold at the end of the season with some excellent performances.
He deserves every success in Greece, and the fuss Arsenal.com have made over his departure is indicative of the esteem in which he is held at the club. Of course my name is now somewhat defunct, but no matter – it remains as a tribute to a beacon of professionalism in an era in which that quality is sadly absent.
I have to say, I had been coming round to the idea that Gilberto might start the season as first choice. His subsequent depature leaves us incredibly light and lacking in experience, and it’s clear Arsene will move to sign a central midfielder before the window closes. My vote still goes for Gareth Barry.
You can hear me talk about Barry, Gilberto, Hleb and more on today’s arsecast. It’s always a genuine pleasure to do.
Tomorrow, Arsenal are playing a match of football. It’s all terribly exciting.
