Gilberto Silva is one of those names that will forever be remembered by Arsenal fans. The former Brazilian midfielder was part of a golden era in north London, featuring in the historic Invincibles team that won the Premier League unbeaten in 2003-04.
Though his playing days are far behind him, his connection with the Gunners remains untouched. Gilberto continues to watch the English side, where other fellow Brazilians are trying to emulate what he accomplished back in the day.
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Speaking to LondonWorld, the 47-year-old shared his thoughts on fellow countrymen Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, who hope to leave their mark at Arsenal as Gilberto did many years ago.
🔴 237 games
⚽️ 24 goals
🏆 3 major trophies
🇧🇷 1 @GilbertoSilva pic.twitter.com/Mytd53n3R4— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 7, 2017
“He does know how to score a goal,” Silva said about Jesus. “He is very effective, works hard for the team and opens space for other players. I believe that as long as he is fit he can be helpful for us. The last few games the team is missing him.
“Martinelli is doing well. I believe he is able to produce more and score more. If you just rely on your striker, it’s not going to be enough to win the league, the other players need to score like Martinelli and Odegaard. Kai Havertz, Trossard – Trossard has been so important. Arsenal work as a team and all of them have responsibility.”
Gilberto speaks about Edu’s work at Arsenal
Another thing that makes Gilberto continue to feel close to Arsenal is the presence of Edu, a fellow Brazilian who was also part of the Invincibles team and currently serves as the club’s sporting director.
“Edu is my brother,” Silva said. “I’m very happy to see where he is. He had a tough start when he came to Arsenal with the condition of the club. There was a lot of negativity around the club. People were not really happy.
“He faced tough moments but they turned it around with hard work. You have to put energy and change some things and they have done it step by step.”
Of course, Gilberto’s comments on his former teammate’s situation led to the question on whether he would go back to the Gunners to work alongside Edu.
“It depends,” Silva said. “At the moment Arsenal have a very good team working there with Edu. If there is something I can help with I’ll be more than happy to be at the club but there is no need – they have a team of professional guys. I still come back to watch the games and support the club in their campaigns as Ambassador. Arsenal is a great place to be.”
