.JPG) Giovanni playing forSantos 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 | (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 4 February 1972), better known asGiovanni, is a Brazilianfootball manager and former player. He played as either anattacking midfielder or aforward.
At club level, Giovanni most notably played for Spanish sideBarcelona, Greek sideOlympiacos, and Brazilian clubSantos. Internationally, he played for theBrazil national team, gaining 18 caps and scoring 6 goals; he was part of the Brazilian team that reached the1998 FIFA World Cup Final.
In his prime, Giovanni was one of Barcelona's most valuable players, but after the arrival ofLouis van Gaal at the club, he got into conflict with the Dutch manager, along with fellow BraziliansRivaldo (whom van Gaal wanted to use as a left winger, despite his protests) andSonny Anderson. He famously called van Gaal "a Hitler for Brazilians, and an egomaniac".[1] At Olympiacos Giovanni had the happiest and most successful days of his career, and is still remembered as a club legend by supporters.[2]
Born inBelém but raised inAbaetetuba,Pará,[3] Giovanni started his career with lowly amateurs Taça Luz in 1990, and moved toTuna Luso shortly after.[4] After impressing in the youth setup, he made his first team debut in a 2–1Copa do Brasil win overCSA, scoring a brace.[5]
Giovanni scored 17 goals in the 1992Campeonato Paraense, with five of them coming in a 8–0 home routing ofTiradentes [pt].[5] In 1993, he was loaned toSérie A sideRemo, but could not repeat the same success.[5]
In 1994, after a very brief period where he featured in two friendly matches forPaysandu (where he considered quitting the sport),[6] Giovanni played forSãocarlense in theCampeonato Paulista Série A2.[5] He played only four matches in two months, and was subsequently set to move toPalmeiras; however, after becoming ill while waiting for his medical, he returned to his hometown and the move never materialized.[3]
As his last match for Sãocarlense was televised, Giovanni impressedSantos president Samir Abdul-Hak, who decided to sign him on loan until the end of the year.[7][5] He made his debut for the club on 25 September, replacingRanielli in a 4–1 away success over former club Remo,[8] and scored his first goal on 30 October in a 1–0 win overParaná.[9]
For the 1995 season, Giovanni was bought by Santos, with club legendPelé himself funding his transfer.[10] A starter during the1995 Campeonato Paulista, he scored ahat-trick in a 4–1 home routing ofPonte Preta.[11] He repeated the feat on 20 October, in a victory overGrêmio for the same scoreline.[12]
Giovanni scored 17 goals in the1995 Série A as Santos finished runners-up in the tournament; in the semi-finals againstFluminense, Santos lost 4–1 in the first leg away, and Giovanni dyed his hair red to show faith in the team. He displayed a splendid game in the second leg and Santos managed to win 5–2, with Giovanni scoring twice and assisting the club's final goal, which was scored by Marcelo Passos. Unfortunately, he could not help Santos overcomeBotafogo in the final game. Nonetheless, he is still known to many Santos supporters as "Messias" (Messiah) and his fans named themselves "Giovanni's Witnesses" – a reference to the religion "Jehovah's Witnesses".[13]
On 7 April 1996, Giovanni scored four goals in a 8–2 win overUnião São João.[14] He scored two hat-tricks againstFerroviária[15] andAraçatuba,[16] and finished the1996 Paulista as the top scorer with 24 goals.[17]
On 18 June 1996, Giovanni moved abroad for the first time in his career, after signing with Spanish clubBarcelona,[18] for a rumoured fee ofUS$ 7.8 million.[19] He was a first team regular for two seasons and scored 18 goals overall. Barcelona fans still remember him for his ability to score game-winning goals againstrivalsReal Madrid. In his first year with Barcelona he won the1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup under managerBobby Robson.[20] WhenLouis van Gaal took the lead in his third year at the club, however, he eventually fell out of favour with the Dutch manager, along with compatriotSonny Anderson, despite scoring crucial goals in games such as the1997 UEFA Super Cup second leg game againstBorussia Dortmund.[21][22] Due to his poor relationship with van Gaal, Giovanni left for Greek clubOlympiacos in the summer of 1999, for a record transfer fee of £10,800,000. Later on in his career, he caused some controversy, by referring to van Gaal as a Hitler for Brazilians, and an egomaniac.[1]
In Greece, Giovanni soon established himself as one of the best players of theGreek league.
A flamboyantstriker, he was known for his inventive dribbling, passing range, and ability tolob the goalkeeper, as well as for having a penchant to beat opposing defenders by passing the ball through their legs (a move known as thenutmeg). His technique on the ball and the variety of fascinating moves he deployed during matches saw him become a highly popular player and a heroic figure to the Olympiacos fans, and he is regarded as one of the club's best ever players. His talent and skills earned him the nickname "magos" (μάγος) "wizard" in Greece.[23][24]
On 20 May 2002, Giovanni renewed with Olympiacos for three years.[25] He was the leading goalscorer in Greece in the2003–04 season with 21 goals.
On 27 May 2005, Santos confirmed the return of Giovanni.[26] During the season, he appeared in 29 games and scored four goals, but after only one match into the 2006 campaign, he was told to leave by managerVanderlei Luxemburgo.[27]
After his short return to Brazil, Giovanni played for several clubs abroad, such as Saudi Arabian sideAl-Hilal,[28] GreekBeta Ethniki clubEthnikos Piraeus, before returning to Brazil to play forSport Recife in April 2007.[29] However, weeks after arriving at the latter, he left the club as managerAlexandre Gallo also departed.[30]
In November 2008, after more than a year without playing, Giovanni was convinced to come out of retirement by his friendRivaldo,[31] and signed forMogi Mirim.[32]
After passing the team's medical exams, Giovanni returned to Santos on 13 January 2010, with a contract until August.[33] Although he played very few matches for the club, he finally managed to win his first title with Santos, theCampeonato Paulista. In June 2010 season, he announced his retirement from professional football.[34]
Giovanni earned 18 caps with theBrazil national team, scoring six goals for the "seleção". He was a member of the team that won the1997 Copa América, and also represented his Country during the1998 World Cup in France, where Brazil went on to reach thefinal, only to suffer a 3–0 defeat to thehost nation.[35]
A versatileplaymaker, his natural and favorite position was as anattacking midfielder, but he could also play as aforward, being an exceptional goalscorer. He was predominantly known for his world-class technique, his exceptionaldribbling skills, and his outstanding flair and creativity on the ball, which saw him employ a variety of craftymoves, as well as his passing accuracy and goalscoring ability.
| 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[3] | Paulista A2 | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | ||||
| Santos | 1994[37] | Série A | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| 1995[38] | 25 | 17 | 28 | 19 | — | 2[a] | 2 | 4[b] | 2 | 59 | 40 | |||
| 1996[39] | 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[40] | La Liga | 30 | 7 | — | 4 | 1 | 8[c] | 3 | 1[d] | 1 | 43 | 12 | |
| 1997–98[41] | 27 | 9 | — | 5 | 2 | 5[e] | 4 | 4[f] | 3 | 41 | 18 | |||
| 1998–99[42] | 14 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 6[e] | 2 | 2[d] | 0 | 23 | 5 | |||
| Total | 71 | 18 | — | 10 | 4 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 107 | 35 | |||
| Olympiacos | 1999–2000 | Alpha Ethniki | 14 | 8 | — | 3 | 3 | 6[g] | 4 | — | 23 | 15 | ||
| 2000–01 | 19 | 7 | — | 11 | 11 | 8[h] | 3 | — | 38 | 21 | ||||
| 2001–02 | 21 | 4 | — | 8 | 10 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 33 | 14 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 22 | 10 | — | 4 | 1 | 5[e] | 0 | — | 31 | 11 | ||||
| 2003–04 | 28 | 21 | — | 7 | 2 | 6[e] | 1 | — | 41 | 24 | ||||
| 2004–05 | 25 | 10 | — | 8 | 2 | 9[i] | 0 | — | 42 | 12 | ||||
| Total | 129 | 60 | — | 41 | 29 | 38 | 8 | — | 208 | 97 | ||||
| Santos | 2005 | Série A | 27 | 4 | — | — | 2[j] | 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 | ||
| Brazil national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1995 | 6 | 0 |
| 1996 | 4 | 2 |
| 1997 | 3 | 2 |
| 1998 | 2 | 1 |
| 1999 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 18 | 6 |
| 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 |
Barcelona
Olympiacos
Al-Hilal
Santos
Brazil
Individual
Brazil squads | |||||||||||||
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