Eduardo da Silva facts for kids
Eduardo with Shakhtar Donetsk in May 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eduardo Alves da Silva | ||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | CBF Nova Kennedy | ||
| 1996–1998 | Bangu | ||
| 1999–2001 | Dinamo Zagreb | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2007 | Dinamo Zagreb | 109 | (73) |
| 2001 | → Croatia Sesvete (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 2003 | → Inter Zaprešić (loan) | 15 | (10) |
| 2007–2010 | Arsenal | 41 | (7) |
| 2010–2014 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 81 | (24) |
| 2014–2015 | Flamengo | 27 | (10) |
| 2015–2016 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 29 | (14) |
| 2017 | Atlético Paranaense | 2 | (0) |
| 2018 | Legia Warsaw | 11 | (0) |
| Total | 320 | (140) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Croatia U21 | 12 | (8) |
| 2004–2014 | Croatia | 64 | (29) |
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Eduardo Alves da Silva (born 25 February 1983), known simply as Eduardo or Dudu, is a former professional footballer. He played as a striker for many clubs and the Croatia national team.
He started his football journey in Brazil with his hometown club, Bangu Atlético Clube. Later, he joined Dinamo Zagreb's youth team in Croatia. He also spent some time on loan at Inter Zaprešić, where he scored ten goals in 15 games. His amazing goal-scoring at Dinamo Zagreb, where he scored 73 goals in 109 league games, caught the eye of Arsenal. They signed him for about £7.5 million in 2007. A very serious leg injury affected his time at Arsenal. After three seasons, he moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010.
Eduardo became a Croatian citizen in 2002. He played his first international game for the Croatia national team at age 21. This was a friendly match against Ireland on 16 November 2004. He was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament and later for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. With 29 goals for Croatia, Eduardo is one of the country's top goal scorers.
Contents
Eduardo da Silva: A Football Star's Journey
Early Days and Rise to Fame
Eduardo grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He started playing club football with CBF Nova Kennedy and Bangu Atlético Clube. In September 1999, scouts from Dinamo Zagreb noticed him. He joined their youth team. Eduardo joined Dinamo's first team in the summer of 2001.
After his first team debut with Dinamo in 2001–02, Eduardo was loaned to Inker Zaprešić (now Inter Zaprešić). This was a Croatian second division team. He played there for one season in 2002–03. He scored ten goals in 15 league games, getting more time on the field.
When he returned from his loan for the 2003–04 season, Eduardo quickly became a key player for Dinamo Zagreb. He was named the best player in the Croatian league in 2004. He also won this award in 2006 and 2007. During these years, he helped Dinamo Zagreb win two league titles and one Croatian Cup. In 2006, he also helped Dinamo win the Croatian Supercup. He scored two goals in their 4–1 win against Rijeka.
In the 2006–07 season, he scored five goals in six matches for Dinamo Zagreb. These were in qualifying rounds for the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. He scored the first European goal at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium in London on 23 August 2006. He also scored both goals in Dinamo's loss to Auxerre in the UEFA Cup.
Eduardo was excellent for Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian championship. He scored 18 goals in 18 matches before the winter break of the 2006–07 season. He also made seven assists. He was the only player to start all 18 matches. In November 2006, he scored two hat-tricks in two games within four days. These were for Croatia and Dinamo Zagreb.
On 12 May 2007, Eduardo scored his 30th and 31st league goals of the 2006–07 season. This happened in Dinamo's 4–0 win over Zagreb. He became the best Croatian league goalscorer ever. He broke a 13-year-old record set by Goran Vlaović. Eduardo finished the league season with 34 goals in 32 games. In the last league match on 19 May 2007, he scored a hat-trick in the Eternal derby. This was against Hajduk Split, and Dinamo won 3–0.
Playing for Arsenal
On 3 July 2007, Arsenal announced they had agreed to sign Eduardo. The fee was about £7.5 million. He made his Premier League debut on 19 August 2007 against Blackburn Rovers. Ten days later, he scored his first goal for Arsenal in a Champions League qualifier. Arsenal won that game 3–0 against Sparta Prague.
Eduardo scored his first Champions League group-stage goal on 19 September 2007 against Sevilla. He showed his goal-scoring skills in the League Cup. He scored two goals in two games against Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers. This helped Arsenal reach the semi-finals. He played more often due to Robin van Persie's injury. He often played alongside Emmanuel Adebayor.
Eduardo became a regular starter for Arsenal in the Premier League around Christmas 2007. He scored his first two Premier League goals in a 4–1 win at Everton. On New Year's Day 2008, he scored early against West Ham United. Arsenal won that game 2–0. He also had a great FA Cup debut against Burnley. He scored the first goal and set up another for Nicklas Bendtner. In January, he set up three more goals. He helped Arsenal get back to the top of the Premier League in February. He scored a clever goal against Manchester City and assisted a goal against Blackburn Rovers.
The Big Injury
On 23 February 2008, Eduardo suffered a very serious leg injury in a match against Birmingham City. This happened after a tackle by Martin Taylor. Taylor was sent off. Eduardo was taken to the hospital for surgery. His injury was so severe that TV channels decided not to show replays. Some people believe this injury affected Arsenal's chance to win the Premier League title that season.
Coming Back Strong
On 16 February 2009, Eduardo returned to play against Cardiff City in the FA Cup. He scored a goal and a penalty. However, he then got a hamstring injury. He returned again against Burnley in the FA Cup, scoring Arsenal's second goal. He played his first Premier League game after his injury on the opening day of the 2009–10 season against Everton. He scored Arsenal's sixth goal in a 6–1 win.
A week later, Eduardo was accused of diving to win a penalty in a Champions League game against Celtic. He was given a two-match ban by UEFA, but this decision was later overturned. Arsenal showed video evidence that the claim of diving was not clear. Eduardo later scored the winning goal in Arsenal's 3–2 win over Standard Liège on 16 September 2009. In November 2009, he signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. He scored two more Premier League goals that season. He also scored the winning goal in an FA Cup match against West Ham United.
Time with Shakhtar Donetsk
On 21 July 2010, Eduardo joined Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. He signed a four-year contract. He made his Ukrainian Premier League debut on 7 August 2010. He played the first half and scored a goal in a 5–0 win. Shakhtar and Arsenal were both in the same Champions League group.
Eduardo scored his second goal for Shakhtar against Volyn Lutsk. He came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal. His third goal came in the Ukrainian Cup. He scored the fifth goal in a 6–0 win. He then scored against Metalist Kharkiv, helping Shakhtar win 2–1.
On 19 October 2010, Eduardo returned to the Emirates Stadium to play against Arsenal in the Champions League. He came on as a substitute when his new team was losing 3–0. The Arsenal fans gave him a standing ovation. He scored a late goal for Shakhtar, and Arsenal won 5–1. The Arsenal fans cheered him again. In the return match, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory. He chose not to celebrate, showing respect for his old club.
Eduardo scored a volley in a 2–0 win against Kryvbas on 6 November. He also scored a goal in a Champions League game against FK Partizan. This 3–0 win put Shakhtar at the top of their group. On 5 April 2014, Eduardo scored two goals for Shakhtar Donetsk against Karpaty Lviv. Shakhtar won that game 3–0.
Back in Brazil and Poland
On 17 July 2014, Eduardo signed with the Brazilian team Flamengo. He scored his first goal for the club on 10 August 2014.
On 10 July 2015, Eduardo signed a new contract with his old club Shakhtar Donetsk.
In February 2017, Eduardo went back to Brazil. He signed for Atlético Paranaense in Série A.
In January 2018, Eduardo da Silva signed a one-year contract with the Polish club Legia Warsaw. He wore the number 9 shirt. In the 2017/18 season, he won the Polish Cup with Legia. He struggled with injuries during his time at Legia. His contract was not renewed, and he left the club at the end of 2018. Eduardo played 14 games for Legia without scoring a goal.
Playing for Croatia
In 2002, Eduardo became a Croatian citizen. He was first called to play for Croatia's Under-21 team in 2004. He played in all three of Croatia's matches. He scored one goal in his first game against Serbia and Montenegro. He also scored seven goals in nine games during the 2006 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. In total, he played twelve games and scored eight goals for the U21 team.
He also played for the Croatia national football team. He made his senior international debut on 16 November 2004. This was a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. In 2005, he played in two more friendly matches. He also played in two games at the 2006 Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong. He scored his first international goal for Croatia at this tournament. He scored the third goal in a 4–0 win over Hong Kong. He was considered for the 2006 World Cup, but was not chosen.
After the 2006 World Cup, Eduardo returned to the national team under new coach Slaven Bilić. He started Croatia's friendly match against Italy on 16 August 2006. He scored the first goal in Croatia's 2–0 win. He became a key player in Croatia's qualifying campaign for Euro 2008. He scored his first competitive international goal for Croatia on 11 October 2006. This was in a 2–0 home win against England. In the next qualifier, against Israel, Eduardo scored a hat-trick. This helped Croatia win 4–3.
Eduardo was a hero in Croatia's qualifiers against Estonia. He scored all three goals in their 1–0 away and 2–0 home wins. He also scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Israel. He helped set up a goal in Croatia's famous 3–2 victory over England at Wembley. England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 because of this win. Eduardo finished the qualifying campaign with 10 goals in 12 matches. He was the second-best goalscorer in the competition.
At Croatia's first game of Euro 2008, fans showed banners supporting Eduardo because of his injury. His national team manager, Slaven Bilić, also dedicated Croatia's performance to him.
After recovering from his leg injury, Eduardo played his first international game in over a year. This was a friendly match against Romania on 11 February 2009. Croatia won 2–1. In 2009, he played four games and scored three goals. This was during Croatia's unsuccessful qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Eduardo played eleven games and scored three goals as Croatia qualified for the UEFA Euro 2012. At the tournament, he only played as a substitute in Croatia's three matches. Croatia was eliminated in the group stage.
Eduardo played seven games and scored two goals in the qualifying campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was chosen for Croatia's squad for the finals in his home country, Brazil. He played for 21 minutes in the 4–0 win over Cameroon. This was his only appearance at the tournament. Croatia was eliminated in the group stage again. On 15 July 2014, after the World Cup, Eduardo announced he was retiring from the national team.
Personal Life
On 10 December 2005, Eduardo married Andrea Šok in Zagreb. They have two children: a daughter named Lorena (born 2006) and a son named Mateus (born 2010). Mateus plays for Flamengo's youth academy.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2001–02 | Croatian First Football League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Croatian First Football League | 24 | 9 | 7 | 3 | — | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 14 | ||
| 2004–05 | Croatian First Football League | 21 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 11 | ||
| 2005–06 | Croatian First Football League | 28 | 20 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 29 | 21 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Croatian First Football League | 32 | 34 | 8 | 6 | — | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 47 | 47 | ||
| Total | 109 | 73 | 18 | 10 | — | 19 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 149 | 93 | |||
| Inter Zaprešić (loan) | 2002–03 | Croatian Second Football League | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 15 | 10 | |||
| Arsenal | 2007–08 | Premier League | 17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3 | — | 31 | 12 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 24 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 32 | 5 | ||
| Total | 41 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 5 | — | 67 | 20 | |||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2010–11 | Ukrainian Premier League | 22 | 6 | 3 | 2 | — | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 12 | |
| 2011–12 | Ukrainian Premier League | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 7 | ||
| 2012–13 | Ukrainian Premier League | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Ukrainian Premier League | 23 | 9 | 5 | 4 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 13 | ||
| Total | 81 | 24 | 13 | 8 | — | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 113 | 36 | |||
| Flamengo | 2014 | Série A | 18 | 8 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 24 | 9 | |||
| 2015 | Série A | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 1 | 22 | 4 | |||
| Total | 27 | 10 | 9 | 2 | — | — | 10 | 1 | 46 | 13 | ||||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2015–16 | Ukrainian Premier League | 19 | 12 | 7 | 2 | — | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 18 | |
| 2016–17 | Ukrainian Premier League | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 3 | ||
| Total | 29 | 14 | 8 | 2 | — | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 21 | |||
| Atlético Paranaense | 2017 | Série A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Legia Warsaw | 2017–18 | Ekstraklasa | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ekstraklasa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 315 | 138 | 57 | 27 | 6 | 4 | 76 | 21 | 15 | 4 | 469 | 194 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2007 | 11 | 7 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 5 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 64 | 29 | |
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Eduardo goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 February 2006 | Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong, China | 5 |  Hong Kong |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2006 Carlsberg Cup |
| 2 | 16 August 2006 | Stadio Armando Picchi, Livorno, Italy | 6 |  Italy |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 October 2006 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 9 |  England |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 4 | 15 November 2006 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | 10 |  Israel |
2–1 | 4–3 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 5 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 6 | 4–2 | ||||||
| 7 | 24 March 2007 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 12 |  Macedonia |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 8 | 2 June 2007 | A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia | 13 |  Estonia |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 9 | 22 August 2007 | Koševo City Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 15 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–0 | 5–3 | Friendly |
| 10 | 8 September 2007 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 16 | Estonia |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 11 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 12 September 2007 | Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra | 17 |  Andorra |
5–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 13 | 13 October 2007 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 18 | Israel |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 14 | 1 April 2009 | Estadi Comunal, Andorra la Vella, Andorra | 24 | Andorra |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15 | 12 August 2009 | Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Belarus | 25 |  Belarus |
2–0 | 3–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 9 September 2009 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 27 | England |
1–4 | 1–5 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 14 November 2009 | Stadion HNK Cibalia, Vinkovci, Croatia | 28 |  Liechtenstein |
3–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 18 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 19 | 9 February 2011 | Stadion Aldo Drosina, Pula, Croatia | 36 |  Czech Republic |
1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 20 | 6 September 2011 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 40 | Israel |
2–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 21 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 22 | 11 October 2011 | Stadion Kantrida, Rijeka, Croatia | 42 |  Latvia |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 23 | 2 June 2012 | Ullevaal, Oslo, Norway | 47 |  Norway |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 24 | 15 August 2012 | Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia | 51 |  Switzerland |
1–1 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 25 | 2–3 | ||||||
| 26 | 16 October 2012 | Stadion Gradski vrt, Osijek, Croatia | 53 |  Wales |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 27 | 26 March 2013 | Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales | 54 | Wales |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 28 | 14 August 2013 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Lichtenstein | 56 | Liechtenstein |
1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 29 | 3–2 |
Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
- Prva HNL: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Croatian Cup: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2006–07
- Croatian Super Cup: 2003, 2006
Shakhtar Donetsk
- Ukrainian Premier League: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
- Ukrainian Cup: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16
- Ukrainian Super Cup: 2012, 2013, 2015
Legia Warsaw
- Ekstraklasa: 2017–18
- Polish Cup: 2017–18
Individual
- SN Yellow Shirt Award: 2006, 2007
- HNL's Footballer of the Year: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Croatian Footballer of the Year: 2006
- Croatian First League top scorer: 2006–07
- Football League Cup top scorer: 2007–08
Images for kids
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Eduardo with Arsenal in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Eduardo da Silva para niños
