Gilberto Silva
There are not many defensive midfielder noted as superb in the history of football, but Gilberto Silva is certainly an exception. Started playing football professionally when he joined América Mineiro in 1997, Silva is indeed one of the best defensive midfielder in history. He is swift and capable of creating opportunities for attackers while at the same time offers amazing addition and intuitive responsive to support his team’s defensive line.
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva was born on October 7th 1976. As a young boy, Silva showed a lot of potential nonetheless. He was recruited to join the youth team of América Mineiro in 1988, but he was forced to leave football because of the low wage offered by the team.
In 1997, Gilberto was convinced to give football another try. He was then recruited by América Mineiro as a full-time professional football player. He quickly became the key player for the team and helped them win the Serie B division. América Mineiro was then promoted to Serie A and survived for two seasons before being relegated back to the Serie B division.
Gilberto’s professional career didn’t end there. He was recruited by Atlético Mineiro in 2000 after a brilliant season with his former team. It was his new team manager Carlos Alberto Parreira who moved him to the defensive midfield position; Gilberto showed his true potentials soon after.
Arsenal recruited Gilberto in 2002. He played 170 games and scored 17 goals for the team before moving to his current team Panathinaikos.