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Giovanni
Giovanni Silva de Oliveira (2010).JPG
Giovanni playing for Santos in 2010
Personal information
Full name Giovanni Silva de Oliverra
Date of birth (1972-02-04) 4 February 1972 (age 53)
Place of birth Belém, Brazil
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, forward
Youth career
1990–1992 Tuna Luso
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 Tuna Luso 38 (21)
1993 Remo (loan) 16 (5)
1994 Paysandu (loan) 0 (0)
1994 Sãocarlense (loan) 4 (2)
1994 Santos (loan) 11 (1)
1995–1996 Santos 79 (60)
1996–1999 Barcelona 71 (18)
1999–2005 Olympiacos 129 (60)
2005–2006 Santos 28 (4)
2006 Al Hilal (0)
2006–2007 Ethnikos Piraeus 8 (3)
2007 Sport Recife 0 (0)
2009 Mogi Mirim 16 (1)
2010 Santos 5 (1)
International career
1995–1999 Brazil 18 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giovanni Silva de Oliveira (born February 4, 1972), known simply as Giovanni, is a Brazilian football manager and former player. He was a talented player who could play as an attacking midfielder or a forward.

Giovanni played for famous clubs like Barcelona in Spain, Olympiacos in Greece, and Santos in Brazil. He also played for the Brazilian national team, appearing in 18 games and scoring 6 goals. He was part of the Brazilian team that reached the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

At Barcelona, Giovanni was a very important player. However, he had disagreements with manager Louis van Gaal. Later in his career, Giovanni found great success and happiness playing for Olympiacos, where fans still remember him as a club legend.

Giovanni's Club Career

Early Football Days

Giovanni was born in Belém, Brazil, but grew up in Abaetetuba. He started his football journey with a small amateur team called Taça Luz in 1990. Soon after, he joined Tuna Luso. He quickly showed his skills in their youth teams.

He made his first team debut in a Copa do Brasil match, scoring two goals in a 2–1 win. In 1992, he scored 17 goals in the Campeonato Paraense league. In 1993, he was loaned to Remo, a team in Brazil's top league, but he didn't have the same success there.

In 1994, Giovanni played for Sãocarlense. He only played a few matches before almost joining Palmeiras. However, he got sick, and the move didn't happen.

Playing for Santos FC

Giovanni's skills caught the eye of Santos president Samir Abdul-Hak during a televised match. Santos signed him on loan in 1994. He made his debut for Santos on September 25 and scored his first goal on October 30.

For the 1995 season, Santos bought Giovanni permanently. Even the legendary player Pelé helped fund his transfer! Giovanni became a key player for Santos. He scored three goals in one game against Ponte Preta. He did it again against Grêmio.

In the 1995 Brazilian league, Giovanni scored 17 goals as Santos finished second. In one exciting semi-final match, Santos was losing 4–1 in the first game. Giovanni dyed his hair red to show his belief in the team. In the second game, Santos won 5–2, with Giovanni scoring twice and setting up another goal. Even though Santos lost the final, fans still call him "Messiah" and some even call themselves "Giovanni's Witnesses."

In 1996, Giovanni scored four goals in an 8–2 victory. He also scored two more hat-tricks (three goals in a single game) that year. He finished the 1996 Paulista league as the top scorer with 24 goals.

Time at FC Barcelona

On June 18, 1996, Giovanni moved to Spain to play for Barcelona. He was a regular player for two seasons, scoring 18 goals. Barcelona fans remember him for scoring important goals against their big rivals, Real Madrid.

In his first year, he won the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with Barcelona. In his third year, he had disagreements with the new manager, Louis van Gaal. Because of this, Giovanni left Barcelona in 1999 and moved to Olympiacos in Greece.

Success at Olympiacos

In Greece, Giovanni quickly became one of the best players in the Greek league. He was known for his amazing dribbling, passing, and ability to chip the ball over the goalkeeper. He also loved to pass the ball through defenders' legs, a move called a "nutmeg."

His incredible skills made him very popular with Olympiacos fans. They saw him as a hero and one of the club's best players ever. His talent earned him the nickname "magos," which means "wizard" in Greek. In 2002, Giovanni signed a new three-year contract with Olympiacos. He was the top goalscorer in Greece during the 2003–04 season with 21 goals.

Returning to Santos

On May 27, 2005, Giovanni returned to Santos. He played in 29 games and scored four goals that season. However, after just one match in 2006, the manager told him he had to leave.

Later Career and Retirement

After his second time at Santos, Giovanni played for a few other clubs. He played for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and Ethnikos Piraeus in Greece. He then returned to Brazil to play for Sport Recife in April 2007, but left soon after.

In November 2008, after not playing for over a year, Giovanni was convinced by his friend Rivaldo to come out of retirement. He signed with Mogi Mirim.

Final Return to Santos

Giovanni returned to Santos for a third time on January 13, 2010. Even though he played only a few matches, he finally won his first title with Santos, the Campeonato Paulista. In June 2010, Giovanni announced that he was retiring from professional football.

International Career with Brazil

Giovanni played 18 games for the Brazilian national team, scoring six goals. He was part of the team that won the 1997 Copa América tournament. He also represented Brazil in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. Brazil reached the final but lost 3–0 to the host nation, France.

Giovanni's Playing Style

Giovanni was a very flexible player, known as a playmaker. His best position was as an attacking midfielder, but he could also play as a forward and was a great goalscorer. He was famous for his amazing technique, excellent dribbling skills, and creative flair with the ball. He used many clever moves and was known for his accurate passing and ability to score goals.

Career Statistics

Club Matches

Club Season League State League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Remo 1993 Série A 16 5 16 5
Sãocarlense 1994 Paulista A2 4 2 4 2
Santos 1994 Série A 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1
1995 25 17 28 19 2 2 4 2 59 40
1996 0 0 26 24 1 0 0 0 27 24
Total 36 18 54 43 1 0 2 2 4 2 97 65
Barcelona 1996–97 La Liga 30 7 4 1 8 3 1 1 43 12
1997–98 27 9 5 2 5 4 4 3 41 18
1998–99 14 2 1 1 6 2 2 0 23 5
Total 71 18 10 4 19 9 7 4 107 35
Olympiacos 1999–2000 Alpha Ethniki 14 8 3 3 6 4 23 15
2000–01 19 7 11 11 8 3 38 21
2001–02 21 4 8 10 4 0 33 14
2002–03 22 10 4 1 5 0 31 11
2003–04 28 21 7 2 6 1 41 24
2004–05 25 10 8 2 9 0 42 12
Total 129 60 41 29 38 8 208 97
Santos 2005 Série A 27 4 2 0 29 4
2006 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 27 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 30 4
Ethnikos 2006–07 Beta Ethniki 8 3 1 0 9 3
Mogi Mirim 2009 Paulista 16 1 16 1
Santos 2010 Série A 1 0 4 1 2 0 7 1
Career total 288 108 79 47 55 33 61 19 11 6 494 213

International Matches

Brazil national team
Year Apps Goals
1995 6 0
1996 4 2
1997 3 2
1998 2 1
1999 3 1
Total 18 6

International Goals

Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 31 August 1996 Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands  Netherlands 1 – 0 2–2 Friendly
2. 13 November 1996 Estádio Couto Pereira, Curitiba, Brazil  Cameroon 1 – 0 2–0 Friendly
3. 26 February 1997 Estádio Serra Dourada, Goiânia, Brazil  Poland 1 – 0 4–2 Friendly
4. 2 – 0
5. 3 June 1998 Stade Bauer, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France  Andorra 1 – 0 3–0 Friendly
6. 5 June 1999 Estádio Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil  Netherlands 2 – 0 2–2 Friendly

Honours and Awards

Barcelona

Olympiacos

  • Alpha Ethniki: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05
  • Greek Cup: 2004–05; runner-up: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04

Al-Hilal

  • Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2005–06
  • Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Cup: 2005–06

Santos

Brazil

Individual Awards

  • Bola de Ouro: 1995
  • Bola de Prata: 1995
  • Greek Championship Foreign Footballer of the Year: 1999–2000, 2003–04
  • Greek Championship Top goalscorer: 2003–04
  • Greek Cup top scorer: 2000–01
  • The Golden Greek football Rosters: Decade 2000–2010

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Giovanni Silva (futbolista) para niños

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