Giovanni – When imagination calls the shots

That’s what the dictionaries say, and all three definitions apply, in one way or another, to Giovanni Silva de Oliveira (February 4, 1972) during his six years in Piraeus. He entranced Olympiacos’ fans with his game, his skills, his dribbling, his football intelligence, his goals and assists; he charmed them with his abilities, and he served the ’round goddess’ as

Olympiacos’ wizard was adored like few other players have been in the Club’s history. He enchanted the Olympiacos fans and was enchanted, in his turn, by their love. And the love affair that sprang up between Giovanni and the fans in the stands was as unique from the get-go as it was memorable. Giovanni left his mark on Piraeus with his achievements, and his name became a favorite chant of the massed fans. When his time in the port city came to an end, he left on a “river of tears” —his own, and the fans’ who turned up in their thousands to see him off.

Which is the exact opposite of how he felt on his arrival in Greece in the summer of 1999 (16 July). Although he received a rapturous reception befitting his name and achievements to that point, no one—not even the most optimistic Reds fan—could have imagined the mutual adoration that would develop so rapidly between the Brazilian star and the Olympiacos fans. All that was certain at that point was that he had never failed to make an impression at any of the clubs he played for.

‘Thank you, Lord, for making the Olympiacos fans part of my life. I love you very much…’

He began his footballing career at Tuna Luso, Brazil, in 1991. His appearances for Tuna Luso, and later with Remo and Sãocarlense, attracted the interest of Santos, which acquired him in 1995 following a personal intervention by Pele, who immediately named him as his successor. In his first season with his new team, he scored in half the games he played in; the following year, he scored 25 goals in 19 games. The Santos fans adored him and nicknamed him the “messiah”.

In 1996, he was transferred to Barcelona. Giovanni scored a total of 18 goals for the Spanish team and won one UEFA Cup, one European Super Cup, two Spanish championships, one Spanish Cup and one Spanish Super Cup with the Club. He certainly didn’t go unnoticed there! One of the Barcelona fans’ favorite players, during his time with the Club he scored decisive goals, especially against perennial archrivals Real Madrid, but also in important European matches—his goal against Borussia Dortmund in the European Super Cup final being a prime example.

But “Gio” was no ordinary player. He knew what he could do, which was beyond the abilities of the average footballer; he was in love with the ball and loved to score; and he had an awful relationship with Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal—the sparks began to fly the moment two first laid eyes on each other.

“Tell me what position he plays in, so I can use him,” the Catalans’ coach would say, implying he was a bad fit for the team’s system. But the Barca fans saw things differently from the Dutchman, and when Giovanni left Barcelona, the press mourned: “the fans had lost their pride and joy”, one piece wrote.

Fortunately for Olympiacos, de Gaal’s “red card” brought him to Piraeus to perform his on-pitch magic. From the very start of his career in Greece, ‘Giovanni’ became synonymous with spectacular football. How could any Olympiacos fan ever forget the two goals he scored against Real Madrid (3-3) in 1999 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, the lob that beat Mondragón in the match against Galatasaray at the Rizoupoli field (November 5, 2003), the goal against Iraklis Thessaloniki (November 11, 2001) that left coach Angelos Anastasiadis no choice but to shake his hand and congratulate him, or that other famous lob against goalkeeper Ante Covic in the league match against PAOK Thessaloniki (November 8, 1999).

Still, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Giovanni in Greece. In his first season, and specifically on December 4, 1999, in the Iraklis-Olympiacos game, he was at the receiving end of a brutal foul by defender Lazaros Semos. A torn cruciate ligament would keep him out of action for the next six months. Giovanni returned on May 28, 2000, although many said he lost his explosive burst of speed after his shocking injury, it didn’t stop him from providing hundreds of minutes of “magic” on the pitch.

On March 21, 2001, for example, when he sealed the Reds’ triumphant 1-4 victory over Panathinaikos Athens at its Leoforos Alexandras Stadium with an incredible curling shot off the outside of his boot, which he celebrated on his knees with his fingers pointing heavenwards.

But both Gio and Olympiacos would later experience the dark side of Greek officiating at the same stadium. It was the derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos that would largely decide the 2003-2004 championship. With the score at 1-2 in Olympiacos’ favor, Panathinaikos defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos sucker-punched Giovanni in the area. When the Brazilian retaliated with a kick, referee Douros gave the Brazilian striker a red card, let Kyrgiakos off scot-free and failed to give the Reds the penalty they should clearly have been given.

It was the Olympiacos fans’ adoration for their football ‘wizard’ that kept him in Piraeus in 2002

By the time he left Greece, he’d won five championships and one Cup. In his 209 official appearances in the red-and-white jersey, he scored 98 goals and recorded 29 assists. In the 2003-2004 season, Giovanni was the top scorer with 21 goals.

It was the Olympiacos fans and the adoration they showed for their wizard that kept him in Piraeus in 2002, when the Club’s president at the time, Socratis Kokkalis, decided not to renew his contract. He had prepared a farewell speech to make for him at the championship fiesta, but the fans chanting “Giovanni—Piraeus—forever” made him change his mind and renew his contract.

On May 25, 2005, in his final game against Iraklis, which Olympiacos won and with it the championship, he ripped his shirt off at the final whistle. Under it, he was wearing a T-shirt that said, in Greek: Thank you, Lord, for making the Olympiacos fans part of my life. I love you very much”.

God played a crucial role in his life, on the pitch as well as off it. As he recounted in his autobiography, during a cruise through the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, he had prayed to God him to show him which country he should move to for the next season. He was waiting for a sign, certain that God would send him one, sooner or later.

The sign came in the words of a middle-aged man who struck up a conversation with Gio’s wife, Anna-Rosa, about the sea, the beaches and the landscapes around them: “If you get the chance, you should definitely visit the Greek islands”! he later recounted the man as saying.

“At that moment, I felt like a flame had been kindled in my heart. It was a sign from God, telling me, through that stranger, that I had to accept Olympiacos’ offer; that my family and I would be happy in that beautiful land with its renowned islands.”

And he was happy there—as happy as the Olympiacos fans were with their ‘wizard’.