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"Want to be like Buffon": Miguel Silva aims high, without shame | Israel Hayom

2023-05-20T12:48:19.493Z

Highlights: Miguel Silva is Beitar Jerusalem's new goalkeeper. The 28-year-old was the second youngest goalkeeper to play for Vitória de Guimarães. Silva was criticised for conceding too many goals for Portuguese side Maritimo. Beitar are in the final of the Israel Cup, where they are favourite to win. Silva says he is scared of the security situation in Israel. He is looking forward to playing in the Champions League. He says he has fallen in love with the Beitar fans.


On the reviews: "I proved everyone wrong about me" • The fear ahead of next season: "It will be a big loss if Shua and Nicolaescu leave" • And the security situation: "My wife and I are a little scared" • Exclusive interview with Beitar Jerusalem goalkeeper ahead of the cup final: "If we win, the fans will fill the streets"


Miguel Silva's affair with Beitar Jerusalem can be defined as love at first sight. It is enough to see him singing with the fans in Hebrew or picking up a child who is a fan of the team and running to celebrate with him after the victory in the cup semi-finals, to understand how quickly and how strongly he connected with the team.

The 28-year-old Portuguese goalkeeper will soon spend four months in Israel, not a particularly long period in an athlete's career, but next week he could win the most significant title of his career - the Israel Cup.

"It wasn't easy to get to Israel, but I'm glad I came here. I came to prove myself," he says in an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom, adding: "I fell in love with the Beitar crowd, what amazing fans, what an atmosphere they create on the field."

He started playing football at the age of 11, despite his father's objections: "Dad always wanted me to concentrate and succeed in school, so it took me a long time to convince him."

Silva gets a hug from the fans. Already singing with them in Hebrew, photo: Alan Shaver

At the age of 20, he made his debut in the Portuguese league, for Vitória de Guimarães, making 60 appearances. He also played for Portugal's youth team with Diogo Jota and Bruno Fernandes of Liverpool and Manchester United, respectively.

"I was the second youngest goalkeeper to play for Vitória de Guimarães. I got called up to the team for the Olympic Games in Brazil, but the team insisted that I stay. I was young, a lot of things were happening around me, they were talking about me being the future, and suddenly I was on the bench. It wasn't easy. I made mistakes along the way, but all these things only strengthened me for the future, and taught me that in football anything can happen."

In the year and a half before he came to play in Israel (after a season at Cypriot club APOEL Nicosia), Silva stood in goal for Portuguese side Maritimo, conceded quite a few goals, and as a result there was criticism of his signing from Beitar Jerusalem in January.

"When you see a team that concedes a lot of goals, they will always talk about the goalkeeper," he explains, "I played in a team that was not strong, lacking confidence, a team that nobody cared about and everyone thought only of himself. We weren't on the pitch as a team, and that's why we conceded so many goals. Anyone who watched the games in Portugal can attest that if I hadn't done a good job, we would have snatched, for example, from Braga 10 rather than 5."
Do you understand the reviews on your signature?
"I can understand, and I'm glad I proved everyone wrong about me. I hope to continue in the same capacity."


When Silva is asked about the differences between the Premier League here and the one in Portugal, he is very direct: "All the teams in Israel do not come close to the big teams in Portugal like Benfica, Sporting, Porto and Braga.

The big three in the country can perhaps compete with the teams from the middle of the table. The Portuguese league is much more technical, but here too there are really good players. Fans in Portugal mostly fill stadiums at the games of the big teams, the small ones barely bring crowds, and this is a problem they try to deal with in Portugal. Here in Israel, the atmosphere is amazing. The Beitar fans are a huge surprise for me, something unbelievable."

So you can probably imagine what will happen if you win the State Cup?
"There will be crazy celebrations, everyone will fill the streets in Jerusalem and celebrate. That would be something out of the ordinary. If we play as a team, we will be focused. I think we have a great opportunity to take the trophy, but we don't come with the feeling of favourites, there is no clear favourite in this final."

Yossi Abukasis. "Excellent coach", photo: Danny Maron

What should Beitar Jerusalem's goal be next season?
"There are a lot of players who are finishing contracts, and we have to see what the management will decide about them, and what new players they want to bring in. If they bring in good players who can upgrade us, and with our amazing fans, I think Beitar has everything to fight next season at the top level, we just have to make the right decisions. The top playoffs definitely have to be reached."

What would happen to the team if stars like Jordan Shua or Ion Nicolaescu left?
"This will be a very big loss for Beitar Jerusalem. Also departure of Danilo Esperia. Each of them is a very important player and influences the team. But in football it's normal, all over the world, players progress and move on. If one of them goes, Beitar will have to bring in talent at his level, so that we can be at least as strong as this year."

How were you impressed by Yossi Abukasis?
"He's a great coach. We have a good connection with him. The training is good. We work hard, but there is a happy and good atmosphere. All the players are on good terms, we are all connected to each other, and that's one of the reasons we came to this moment, the cup final."

Nicolaescu. Critical to Beitar's success next season, photo: Danny Maron

"It's not normal to live like this,"
Silva arrived at Beitar Jerusalem at a difficult time, when a wave of terror attacks hit the capital. Then there were several earthquakes in the country, and in the team's dressing room they would laugh at the Portuguese: "You brought the whole mess." Despite all this, including concern for his partner Anna and his two children Camilla and Bernard, he did not complain or ask for special discounts. This was also the case during Operation Shield and Arrow, which ended last week.

"It's a very different situation for me and my family, we're not used to things like this," Silva says. There are times when we prefer to stay at home, not go out. It's not normal to live like this. Maybe for you, Israelis, it's no longer a big deal, but my wife and I are. In the last operation in Gaza, when we saw all the missiles on the news – and they talked about it in Portugal – we were a little scared."

Let's return to the professional aspect. Is there anyone in the world you'd like to learn from?
"If I had a chance to meet and learn from someone, it was from Gianluigi Buffon. Look at how he's been playing so far at 45, it's incomprehensible. I'd like to understand how he does it, takes care of himself and plays at the highest level. What an amazing career he has. My dream is to be like him. I've been following him since I was a kid. I hope for him to have a chance to go up to Serie A with Parma, it will be the most special thing for him before the end of his career. He's phenomenal."

Buffon. Role model at age 45, photo: AP

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You are finishing your contract soon, would you like to stay at Beitar Jerusalem?
"I'm very happy here, and of course I want to stay, but now the most important thing to concentrate on is the cup final. I only think about the final, how to win the cup, and after that we will sit down with the club and see what happens."

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Source: israelhayom

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