With Gilberto Silva

Me: “Describe winning the World Cup”
Gilberto: “Every word I use isn’t enough”.

Wow, where to begin with Gilberto Silva, the man also known as “The Invisible Wall”. If you love football you will enjoy hearing the stories and experiences Gilberto shares with me but even if you don’t like football this blog features many relatable life lessons and learning that we could all benefit from.

Gilberto has been part of some incredible sporting moments. The Brazilian footballer is a champion in so many senses of the word. He has won the FIFA World Cup, Copa America, English Premier League and Copa Libertadores… So what better place to start than by asking him about those wins.

I loved hearing that these Brazilian champions; players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos (amongst others) are all part of a WhatsApp group supporting each other through their daily lives as well as charity events they’re involved with.

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I have been fortunate to travel to a few continents and still have a lot more travelling I would like to do because I love visiting new places, trying different cultures, learning new things… I was interested to hear what Gilberto’s experiences had been in the countries he’d been to for the World Cups in Korea/Japan, Germany and South Africa, with regards to fans.
I was surprised to hear he owns a Vuvuzela!! The sound those things blow out is so annoying yet the buzz it created was unmistakable and unforgettable in 2010.

Gilberto moved from Brazil to England unable to speak the language but he did not see this as a barrier to success and worked hard to embrace the football culture and learn from the British players of who he mentions Martin Keown, Sol Campbell, Ray Parlour, Ashley Cole and David Seaman.
I asked Gilberto about his time at Arsenal. He was part of the team known as “The Invincible’s”, a team that won the English Premier League (known then as Barclays Premier League back then) without losing a game! A season of 38 matches in which Gilberto played in 32 of them in 2003/4. An incredible achievement that to date has not been repeated.

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Take a look at us shooting the breeze about his time as a Gunner.

Just incredible!! I actually had goosebumps whilst we were chatting because of how amazing an achievement it was.

I then went onto ask Gilberto who the best players were he’d played against…take a look at what he replied in the next video. Any surprises for you?

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Gilberto revealed when it comes to cooking he’s pretty decent at a BBQ….so I asked him which of his former teammates he would invite for a cook out given the chance.

To be honest, with the UK basking in sunshine at the moment I wouldn’t mind a little BBQ myself!

Wrapping up my video chats with a little quick fire Q&A seems to be becoming a bit of a regular thing. Take a look at this next clip to see who Gilberto chose between Messi or Ronaldo and Brazilian Ronaldo or Portuguese Ronaldo?

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As always once I get over the initial nerves of filming these vlogs for my blog it becomes easier to just chat. I have tried not to dwell on the current global pandemic but we did touch on Gilberto having become a bit of a gardner now he’s having to spend so much time at home in quarantine. As you will see here his offer to do my garden is much appreciated however I would prefer someone to sort my barnet situation out instead! Anyone else wanting and needing their barbers/hairdressers to open asap!?

We then moved on to what inspires and motivates Gilberto. I found it so interesting Silva says if you only concentrate on motivation you end up frustrated so you have to look at the whole of what you want to achieve and persevere for your desired result. This short clip is worth watching.

It’s easy for us to look at sportsmen and other professionals and think they “have it easy” or were “lucky” for whatever reason and maybe luck has some factor but the most important factors are determination and perseverance to go with their talent. Gilberto talked a lot about overcoming problems to achieving goals.

To quote Silva, “Work hard to achieve what you want, be persistent to move forward and be resilient when things don’t work out. In the end there is no assurance you will achieve your goals but it’s very important you have done all the things you believe were right to achieve what you want and then look to find another way”
Do you agree with this mindset and philosophy?

I know I have often voiced frustration at not achieving my goals. Listening to Gilberto helped me accept that it’s not a lack of motivation I have it’s just a change in route required to find another way to succeed. If anything I am even more determined now to have more courage in making my dreams a reality. Thank you Gilberto.

Well, that’s a wrap for this weeks blog. I hope you enjoyed it or learned from it or it just helped pass a little time in your day.

As always I am grateful for your engagement so please comment and share where you can, I love hearing from you.

Big Love
AC