Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior (born 12 April 1974), commonly known as Sylvinho (sometimes alternatively spelled Silvinho), is a Brazilian football manager and former player, currently coaching the Albania national football team.

Sylvinho
Sylvinho in 2019
Personal information
Full name Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior
Date of birth (1974-04-12) 12 April 1974 (age 50)
Place of birth São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
Albania
(manager)
Youth career
1990–1994 Corinthians
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1999 Corinthians 177 (1)
1999–2001 Arsenal 55 (3)
2001–2004 Celta 84 (1)
2004–2009 Barcelona 89 (2)
2009–2010 Manchester City 10 (0)
Total 415 (7)
International career
2000–2001 Brazil 6 (0)
Managerial career
2019 Lyon
2021–2022 Corinthians
2023– Albania
Medal record
Representing  Brazil
Men's football
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Third place 1998 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Formerly a left back, he began his career at Corinthians. He was signed by Arsenal in 1999, and was a popular player in his two seasons at the club. He left for Celta Vigo of La Liga, before joining Barcelona in 2004, with whom he won the UEFA Champions League in 2006 and 2009 among other honours. He returned to England to spend his final season as a player with Manchester City in 2009–10.

Upon moving into management, he had brief stints at French club Lyon and Brazilian side Corinthians, before being named coach of the Albanian national team in 2023, subsequently qualifying them for UEFA Euro 2024.

Club career

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Corinthians

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Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Sylvinho started his career at Corinthians in 1994. With Timão, Sylvinho won the Copa do Brasil in 1995. He was also victorious with Corinthians in 1998 season of Brazil's top flight league, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Sylvinho as well won the Campeonato Paulista in 1995, 1997 and 1999 with Corinthians altogether.[1]

Arsenal

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Sylvinho in 1999

In 1999, he became the first ever Brazilian player to sign for English club Arsenal, whom he signed for ahead of North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur who had made numerous offers for him.[2] Before long he was first choice at left back, displacing long-time fan-favourite Nigel Winterburn. He had a setback early on in his first season when he missed a penalty in a shootout as Arsenal crashed out of the League Cup to Middlesbrough,[3] and that season finished with a 4–1 loss on penalties against Turkish club Galatasaray in the 2000 UEFA Cup final, although this time he did not take a penalty. During his second season at the club he was displaced by Ashley Cole. He scored goals against Sheffield Wednesday,[4] Charlton Athletic[5] and Chelsea.[6] He also scored twice in the Champions League for Arsenal against Sparta Prague[7] and Spartak Moscow.[8] In the 2000–01 season, Sylvinho was included in the PFA Team of the Year.[9]

During his time at Arsenal, Sylvinho was registered under a Portuguese passport, allowing him to be classed as a European Union citizen and exempt from work permit requirements. Britain's Immigration Services investigated the validity of this document before Sylvinho moved to Celta Vigo, where he was classified as a Brazilian citizen. Sylvinho said after his transfer to Celta that he had no knowledge that he was registered at Arsenal as a Portuguese citizen, and said that it was solely the decision of the club's executives.[10][11][12]

Celta Vigo

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In 2001, he moved to Celta Vigo,[13] and played there for three years, scoring once in the league against Barcelona on 26 January 2003, his future club.[14] He became a popular figure with the club's fans, helping the team to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history during the 2003–04 season.[15]

Sylvinho obtained a Spanish passport in 2004, granted to him after completing three years' residency in Spain. It allowed him to bypass the non-EU player restrictions in La Liga.[16]

Barcelona

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In 2004, after a transfer fee of €2 million,[1] he was signed by Barcelona, where he won three domestic leagues, in 2005, 2006 and 2009, as well as the Champions League in 2006 and 2009.[17] After a series of good performances in 2008, he was given an extension until 2009.[15]

He played the entire match in Barcelona's 2–0 victory over defending champions Manchester United in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final, ahead of the suspended Eric Abidal,[18] previously having been an unused substitute in the final three years earlier.[15] This was his final game for the Catalan club.

Manchester City

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Manchester City visited the Camp Nou on 19 August 2009 and, having beaten Barcelona 1–0 in a friendly, held discussions about Sylvinho joining them at the end of the month, thereby joining up with countryman Robinho.[19] It was announced on 24 August 2009 that he had signed for City on a free transfer, with a one-year contract.[20] He made his debut against Scunthorpe United in the League Cup. His first league appearance came on 12 December 2009 against Bolton Wanderers, following the absence of an injured Wayne Bridge. He scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 4–2 win against Scunthorpe in the FA Cup on 24 January 2010, with a spectacular long range strike.[21]

On 8 June 2010, it was announced that Sylvinho's contract had expired and that he would be leaving the club, along with Benjani Mwaruwari, Jack Redshaw, Karl Moore and Martin Petrov.[22]

International career

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After receiving his first international call-up in 1997 under Mario Zagallo for a match against Russia,[15] Sylvinho formed part of Brazil's squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup of 1998 wherein as they eventually finished in third place, he thus won a bronze medal with the team.[23] He thereafter made his international debut for Brazil in a friendly match against Wales at Cardiff on 23 May 2000, which ended in a 3–0 win.[24][25] Four days later, he played in a friendly match against England in London, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[26] He went on to achieve a total of 6 international caps,[27] as a backup to Roberto Carlos at the left-back position.[28] His last appearance with Brazil was on 28 March 2001 in a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.[29]

Managerial career

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Sylvinho in 2018.

Youth and assistant

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On 7 July 2011, Sylvinho announced he would be retiring from football. He was hired as Cruzeiro's assistant manager on 27 September 2011.[30] After a stint on Sport Recife and Náutico, he returned to Corinthians on 5 July 2013, as assistant manager to Tite.[31]

On 13 December 2014, he was appointed as Roberto Mancini's assistant coach by Italian club Inter Milan.[32] On 20 July 2016, he joined the Brazil national team as an assistant once again to Tite.[33] On 9 April 2019, he was appointed as manager of the Brazil national under-23 team ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics, but did not take charge.[34]

Lyon

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On 19 May 2019, Sylvinho was announced as the replacement for Bruno Génésio at Lyon. Compatriot Juninho Pernambucano, an icon at the club, became director of football.[35] On his senior managerial debut on 9 August, he won 3–0 at Monaco, followed a week later with a 6–0 home win over Angers.[36] He won no more games in the next seven league fixtures, and was sacked on 7 October 2019 after a 1–0 loss at rivals Saint-Étienne in the Rhone derby.[37]

Corinthians

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On 23 May 2021, Sylvinho's return to Corinthians as their new manager was announced on a contract until the end of the following year.[38][39] He lost on his debut a week later, 1–0 at home to Atlético Goianiense with a missed penalty.[40] On 3 February 2022, only three matches into the new season, he was sacked after a 1–2 home defeat to rivals Santos.[41]

Albania

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On 2 January 2023, the Albanian Football Association announced that it had reached an agreement with Sylvinho to be the new head coach of the Albania national team and that Pablo Zabaleta and Doriva would join him as assistant coaches.[42] Seven days later, he was officially appointed as the head coach and signed an 18-month contract, where the goal of the contract was to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024.[43] Sylvinho moved into a hotel in the Albanian capital Tirana, leaving his family in Porto, Portugal; he communicated with his team mostly in Italian.[44]

Sylvinho and his assistant made an initial 70-man list for their team. Wishing to play a 4–3–3 formation, he needed a right-footed left-winger, and found in the database Jasir Asani, a 27-year-old uncapped Macedonia-born player for Gwangju FC in South Korea; Asani went on to score three goals and assist two more in European qualification. Sylvinho's team became known for attacking and for scoring long-distance goals.[44]

Sylvinho's debut on 27 March 2023 was a 1–0 loss away to Poland in a qualifier,[45] but he subsequently guided the team to the finals with a 1–1 draw away to Moldova on 17 November.[46] With four wins, three draws and only the opening loss, Albania won the group ahead of the Czech Republic on head-to-head.

On 30 November 2023, Sylvinho was given the Golden Decoration of the Eagle by Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.[47] On 18 December 2023, Sylvinho obtained Albanian citizenship.[48]

Style of play

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A quick, reliable, and technically gifted attacking left back, Sylvinho was known in particular for his overlapping runs, as well as his crossing ability with his left foot; he also possessed good tactical awareness, defensive attributes, and concentration, which also enabled him to play as a midfielder, as a wing-back, or even as a winger occasionally.[15][49]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State League[a] Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Corinthians 1994[50] Série A 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
1995[51] Série A 13 0 26 0 10 0 49 0
1996[52] Série A 21 0 19 0 5 0 9[b] 0 54 0
1997[53] Série A 22 0 15 0 6 0 2[c] 0 45 0
1998[54] Série A 30 0 13 0 2 0 3[d] 0 3[c] 0 51 0
1999[55] Série A 0 0 15 1 4 0 9[b] 1 5[c] 0 33 2
Total 89 0 88 1 27 0 21 1 10 0 235 2
Arsenal 1999–2000[56] Premier League 31 1 3 0 2 0 9[e] 0 1[f] 0 46 1
2000–01[57] Premier League 24 2 3 0 0 0 7[g] 2 34 4
Total 55 3 6 0 2 0 16 2 1 0 80 5
Celta Vigo 2001–02[58] La Liga 23 0 2 0 2[h] 0 27 0
2002–03[59] La Liga 32 1 2 0 3[h] 0 37 1
2003–04[60] La Liga 29 0 5 0 9[g] 0 43 0
Total 84 1 9 0 14 0 107 1
Barcelona 2004–05[61] La Liga 21 0 0 0 3[g] 0 24 0
2005–06[62] La Liga 26 2 2 0 1[g] 0 2[i] 0 31 2
2006–07[63] La Liga 13 0 4 0 2[g] 0 2[j] 0 21 0
2007–08[64] La Liga 14 0 4 0 4[g] 0 22 0
2008–09[65] La Liga 15 0 8 0 7[g] 1 30 1
Total 89 2 18 0 17 1 4 0 128 3
Manchester City 2009–10[66] Premier League 10 0 3 1 2 0 15 1
Career total 327 6 88 1 63 1 4 0 68 4 15 0 565 12
  1. ^ Includes Campeonato Paulista matches
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  3. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in Torneio Rio – São Paulo
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in Copa Mercosur
  5. ^ One appearance in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Cup
  6. ^ Appearance(s) in FA Charity Shield
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  8. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
  9. ^ Appearance(s) in Supercopa de España
  10. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in Supercopa de España

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[67]
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 2000 3 0
2001 3 0
Total 6 0

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 19 November 2024
Team From To Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Lyon 24 May 2019 7 October 2019 11 3 4 4 17 10 +7 027.27
Corinthians 23 May 2021 3 February 2022 43 16 14 13 42 41 +1 037.21
Albania 1 January 2023 present 22 9 5 8 27 20 +7 040.91
Career totals 76 28 23 25 86 71 +15 036.84

Honours

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Corinthians[68]

Arsenal[68]

Barcelona[68]

Brazil[23]

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sylvinho". Football Database.eu.
  2. ^ "Where are they now? Arsenal and Manchester City defender Sylvinho". Shoot.co.uk. 12 April 2017.
  3. ^ Walker, Michael (1 December 1999). "Schwarzer the hero sees Middlesbrough through". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Wednesday relegated". BBC. 9 May 2000. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Arsenal's eight-goal thriller". BBC. 26 August 2000. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  6. ^ "Arsenal earn amazing draw". BBC. 6 September 2000. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Wenger's praise for defence". BBC. 13 September 2000. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Arsenal gunned down in Moscow". BBC. 22 November 2000. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  9. ^ a b Davies, Huw (25 April 2019). "10 players you'd forgotten were in a PFA Premier League Team of the Year". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Barca sign Silvinho". BBC Sport. 12 July 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Police look at three more passport cases". The Independent. 13 September 2001. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  12. ^ O'Rourke, Peter. "I had to leave Gunners - Silvinho". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Celta sign Silvinho". BBC. 31 August 2001. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  14. ^ Benjamin Newman (29 December 2011). "Silvinho (Celta Vigo) vs Barcelona". Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Silvio Mendes Campos, Sylvinho". Barcelona.cat. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Sylvinho obtiene la doble nacionalidad" [Sylvinho obtains dual nationality]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 31 August 2004. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  17. ^ "FC Barcelona to acknowledge Deco, Sylvinho and Keita's contribution to the Club". F.C. Barcelona.com. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  18. ^ Daniel Taylor (27 May 2009). "Barcelona v Manchester United, Champions League final player ratings". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Sylvinho, goodbye to five years of dedicated service". FC Barcelona. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  20. ^ "Man City sign Brazilian Sylvinho". BBC Sport. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  21. ^ "Scunthorpe 2 – 4 Man City". BBC. 24 January 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  22. ^ "Out of contract senior trio leave Blues". Manchester City F.C. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  23. ^ a b "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1998 - Full Details". RSSSF.
  24. ^ "Giggs misses Brazil game". BBC. 23 May 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  25. ^ "Brazilians turn on the style". BBC. 23 May 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  26. ^ "England-Brazil: Clockwatch". BBC. 27 May 2000. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  27. ^ "Sylvinho". National Football Teams. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  28. ^ "Silvinho set to leave Arsenal". Irish Times. 25 July 2001. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  29. ^ Frank Ballesteros (22 July 2001). "World Cup 2002 Qualifying - South America". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  30. ^ "Ex-jogador Sylvinho assume função de auxiliar técnico de Vagner Mancini". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). 27 September 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  31. ^ "Sylvinho é o novo auxiliar técnico da equipe profissional do Corinthians". corinthians.com. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Serie A – Ex-Arsenal and Barcelona star Sylvinho becomes Inter Milan assistant boss". Yahoo!. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  33. ^ "Tite presta contas do 1º mês e anuncia Sylvinho como seu auxiliar na Seleção". Globo Esporte. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  34. ^ "CBF anuncia Sylvinho como técnico da seleção pré-olímpica". Globo Esporte. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  35. ^ White, Adam; Devin, Eric (20 May 2019). "Lyon are taking a big gamble on Juninho and Sylvinho". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  36. ^ White, Adam; Devin, Eric (19 August 2019). "Sylvinho has revived Lyon so will Ligue 1 have a title race after all?". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  37. ^ "Lyon sack Sylvinho after poor Ligue 1 start, name Baticle as interim". ESPN. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  38. ^ "Sylvinho é o novo técnico do Corinthians" [Sylvinho is the new manager of Corinthians] (in Portuguese). SC Corinthians Paulista. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  39. ^ "Corinthians anuncia a contratação de Sylvinho" [Corinthians announce the signing of Sylvinho] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  40. ^ "Na estreia de Sylvinho, Corinthians perde pênalti e é derrotado pelo Atlético-GO" [On Sylvinho's debut, Corinthians miss a penalty and are defeated by Atlético-GO]. Gazeta Esportiva (in Portuguese). 30 May 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  41. ^ "Sylvinho deixa o comando técnico do Corinthians" [Sylvinho leaves Corinthians] (in Portuguese). SC Corinthians Paulista. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  42. ^ "FSHF arrin marrëveshjen me trajnerin brazilian Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior" [AFA reaches agreement with Brazilian coach Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 2 January 2023.
  43. ^ "Prezantohet trajneri i ri Kombëtares shqiptare, Silvinjo! Braziliani firmos kontratën me FSHF-në" [Introducing the new coach of the Albanian National Team, Sylvinho! The Brazilian signs the contract with the AFA] (in Albanian). Albanian Football Association. 9 January 2023.
  44. ^ a b Alves, Marcus (4 June 2024). "How ex-Arsenal defender Sylvinho became Albanian hero". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  45. ^ "Sylvinho estreia com derrota pela seleção da Albânia contra a Polônia" [Sylvinho debuts with defeat for Albania national team against Poland] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  46. ^ "Albania qualify for Euro 2024 with draw in Moldova". Reuters. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  47. ^ Moreira, Mateus (23 November 2023). "Sylvinho, ex-Corinthians, recebe prêmio por desempenho na seleção da Albânia" [Ex-Corinthians player Sylvinho receives award for performance in the Albania national team] (in Portuguese). CNN Brasil. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  48. ^ "PËR DHËNIE TË SHTETËSISË SHQIPTARE" [FOR GIVING THE ALBANIAN CITIZENSHIP] (in Albanian). Qendra e Botimeve Zyrtare. 18 December 2023.
  49. ^ Williams, Richard (17 May 2006). "Ronaldinho the boy genius grows into a full-scale marvel". The Guardian.
  50. ^ "Jogos do Corinthians em 1994" [Matches of Corinthians in 1994] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Meu Timão. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  51. ^ "Jogos do Corinthians em 1995" [Matches of Corinthians in 1995] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Meu Timão. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  52. ^ "Jogos do Corinthians em 1996" [Matches of Corinthians in 1996] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Meu Timão. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  53. ^ "Jogos do Corinthians em 1997" [Matches of Corinthians in 1997] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Meu Timão. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  54. ^ "Jogos do Corinthians em 1998" [Matches of Corinthians in 1998] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Meu Timão. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  55. ^ "Jogos do Corinthians em 1999" [Matches of Corinthians in 1999] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Meu Timão. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  56. ^ "Games played by Sylvinho in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  57. ^ "Games played by Sylvinho in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  58. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2001–02 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  59. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2002–03 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  60. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2003–04 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  61. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2004–05 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  62. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2005–06 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  63. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2006–07 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  64. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2007–08 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  65. ^ "Matches Sylvinho, 2008–09 season". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  66. ^ "Games played by Sylvinho in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  67. ^ "Sylvinho". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  68. ^ a b c "Sylvinho". Soccerway. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
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  NODES
Association 3
INTERN 8
Note 1