Gilberto on Brazil at Ashburton Grove
Friday, September 1st, 2006Excitement as Gilberto plays for Brazil at Ashburton Grove
Everyone around here (me) is really very excited that Gilberto will play for Brazil at Arsenal’s new stadium, Ashburton Grove.
The match is between Argentina and Brazil, with the South Americans as favourites. (Think about that one.)
Gilberto says this:
It will be a great moment for me to play at home on my own club’s ground yet to be representing my country.
It’s just amazing how many people have been on the phone to me for tickets! There is always huge interest in Brazil games — and ones against Argentina are the biggest.
We’re like England in that we did not do as well as expected in the World Cup. We have to win the trust of our fans again — just like England have to do.
We have to make them believe in us and that is the hardest job.
After the World Cup, we are starting from zero. We were very frustrated and we need to rebuild our confidence.
It was very disappointing for me and the team. The defeat against France was hard to absorb.
It took me a long time to get over it. It wasn’t so much we lost but that we didn’t compete. The Brazilian people don’t accept it if you are second. They expect us to be first every time. It was hard for them but sometimes in football it happens. As it was with England.
You can have a good team but sometimes you go to the game and nothing works the way you want it to.
I thought England played quite well against Portugal but when the result doesn’t go for you, you can always find lots of excuses.
Brazilians are still disappointed with the result, our performance and the way we were knocked out.
We had won the World Cup in 2002, then the Copa America and the Confederations Cup.
Go Gilberto!
Last night I had a dream that I met Gilberto in the car park at Ashburton Grove, and he shook my hand, signed an autograph and offered to take my dog for a walk. The strange part is that I don’t have a dog – maybe I should get one, then Bert will walk it. And I’ll call it Gilberto. Or Berty.