Giovanni Silva de Oliveira

Early career

Born in Belém but raised in Abaetetuba, Pará, Giovanni started his career with lowly amateurs Taça Luz in 1990, and moved to Tuna Luso shortly after. After impressing in the youth setup, he made his first team debut in a 2–1 Copa do Brasil win over CSA, scoring a brace. Giovanni scored 17 goals in the 1992 Campeonato Paraense, with five of them coming in a 8–0 home routing of Tiradentes. In 1993, he was loaned to Série A side Remo, but could not repeat the same success. In 1994, after a very brief period where he featured in two friendly matches for Paysandu (where he considered quitting the sport), Giovanni played for Sãocarlense in the Campeonato Paulista Série A2. He played only four matches in two months, and was subsequently set to move to Palmeiras; however, after becoming ill while waiting for his medical, he returned to his hometown and the move never materialized.

Santos

As his last match for Sãocarlense was televised, Giovanni impressed Santos president Samir Abdul-Hak, who decided to sign him on loan until the end of the year. He made his debut for the club on 25 September, replacing Ranielli in a 4–1 away success over former club Remo, and scored his first goal on 30 October in a 1–0 win over Paraná. For the 1995 season, Giovanni was bought by Santos, with club legend Pelé himself funding his transfer. A starter during the 1995 Campeonato Paulista, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 home routing of Ponte Preta. He repeated the feat on…

Giovanni earned 18 caps with the Brazil national team, scoring six goals for the "seleção". He was a member of the team that won the 1997 Copa América, and also represented his Country during the 1998 World Cup in France, where Brazil went on to reach the final, only to suffer a 3–0 defeat to the host nation.

A versatile playmaker, his favorite position was as an attacking midfielder, but he could also play as a forward, being a goalscorer. He was predominantly known for his technique, his exceptional dribbling skills, and his outstanding flair and creativity on the ball, which saw him employ a variety of crafty moves, as well as his passing accuracy and goalscoring ability.

Club

International

International goals