Giovanni (footballer, born 1972) facts for kids
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Giovanni playing for Santos in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Giovanni Silva de Oliverra | ||
| Date of birth | 4 February 1972 | ||
| 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.
Contents
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
- La Liga: 1997–98, 1998–99
- Copa del Rey: 1996–97, 1997–98
- Supercopa de España: 1996
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1996–97
- UEFA Super Cup: 1997
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
- Copa do Brasil: 2010
- Campeonato Paulista: 2006, 2010
Brazil
- Copa América: 1997
- Umbro Cup: 1995
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1998
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
In Spanish: Giovanni Silva (futbolista) para niños
