Quote (kalhmera @ Feb 15 2011 10:32am)
persy o cisse evale 23 goal mono sthn ellada...kai 28 h 29 synolika... to 2005 prwtos scorer htan o salpiggidis me 17 goal
21 o jiovanni xris kanena panaltysthn ellada...o cisse perisi eixe girw sta 8 penalty...k einai k centre for katharo ena o magos htan deakri...
Career in Brazil
Born in Abaetetuba, Giovanni started his career in 1991 at Tuna Luso. In 1993, he scored 24 goals, before joining Remo, Paysandu and Sãocarlense before moving to top Brazilian club Santos in 1995.
[edit] Santos
Pelé himself paid for his transfer, and proclaimed him the "new Pelé".
In his first season he scored in half of the games he played, while in his second he notched 25 goals in 19 games. The peak of his career wearing Pelé's number 10 jersey was when he led Santos to the second place in the Brazilian Championship. In the semi-finals against Fluminense, 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 on the final Marcelo Passos goal. Unfortunately, he could not help Santos overcome Botafogo in the final game. Nonetheless, he is still known to many Santos supporters as "Messias" (Messiah) and his fans named themselves "Giovanni's witnesses" - similar to a religion, "Jehovah's witnesses".
[edit] Barcelona
After Santos FC, he moved to the Catalan club FC Barcelona in 1996. 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 against Real Madrid. In his first year with Barcelona he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.[1] When Louis Van Gaal took the lead, however, he eventually fell out of favor, alongside Sonny Anderson, in his third year at the club, despite scoring crucial goals in games such as the 1997 UEFA Super Cup second leg game against Borussia Dortmund.[2] Therefore he left for Greek club Olympiacos for a record transfer bid of 10.800.000 £ in the summer of 1999.[3] Later on in his career, he caused some controversy, by referring to Van Gaal as a Hitler for Brazilians, and an egomaniac.[4]
[edit] Olympiacos
In Greece, he soon established himself as one of the best players of the Greek league.
A flamboyant striker, he was known for his inventive dribbling, his passing range, his ability to lob the goalkeeper and pass the ball through defender's legs (nutmeg). His technique and the variety of fascinating moves made Olympiacos fans think of him as one of the most talented players in their team and love him as a hero. His skills earned him the nickname "magos" (magician) in Greece.
He was the leading goalscorer in Greece in the 2003-2004 season with 21 goals.In 2005 Giovanni returned to Santos, playing alongside Robinho. With discrete performances in 29 games, he was told to leave at the end of the season by trainer Vanderlei Luxemburgo.
[edit] After return
After his short return in Brazil, the striker went into anonymity, playing for smaller clubs like, Al-Hilal, Ethnikos, Sport Club do Recife and Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube, finally, he decided to return to Santos again, where he still maintained his godlike status, even though he didn't play well in 2005.
[edit] Return to Santos
After passing the medical exams, Giovanni returned to Santos in January 2010. Although playing very few matches, he finally managed to win his first title with Santos, the Campeonato Paulista. In 04/06 announced retirement.[5]
This post was edited by BlackTwister on Feb 15 2011 04:39am