Eduardo Da Silva, christened as Eduardo Alves da Silva is a Brazilian-born Croatian football player born on February 25, 1983 in Rio de Janeiro. Eduardo Da Silva has been nicknamed as ‘Dudu’ and ‘Eddy’ in the football world.
Eduardo Da Silva was selected for the Croatian Under (U)-21 team in 2002, following which he made a debut for the team in the 2004 European U-21 Championship in Germany. This paved the way for his entry into the Croatian national team in the same year. In October 2006, he scored his first competitive international goal for the team in their win over England.
Eduardo Da Silva made his venture into club football by joining the CBF Nova Kennedy and Bangu Atlético Clube. Later, he switched to the youth squad of the Dinamo Zagreb Club in September 1999, following which he played in the U-21 tournaments. His consistent performance earned him a place in the senior team of the club in 2001. Eduardo Da Silva made his debut for the team in the 2001–02 season, after which he was loaned by the Croatian Inter Zapreši? for another first team appearance from 2002–03. At the end of the season, the Dinamo Zagreb had the privilege of having him back. Eduardo Da Silva made his mark after the return by being instrumental in team’s win over two consecutive titles in the Croatian League, and one title in the Croatian Cup. His performance in the tournaments earned him the award as the best player of the Croatian league in 2004, 2006 and 2007. He also helped the team win the 2006 Croatian Super Cup against Rijeka. In May 2007, at the final match of the league season, Eduardo Da Silva became the first player to score a hat-trick in a derby against Hajduk Split, leading the Dinamo Zagreb Club to a victorious finish.
Eduardo Da Silva later moved to the Arsenal in July 2007, and made his debut for the club as a 69th-minute substitute in a friendly match against Gençlerbirli?i in Austria. At the 2007 Amsterdam Tournament, being a part of the winning team in the match against Lazio, Eduardo Da Silva scored his first goal for the club. He made his Premier League debut for the Arsenals in the match held in August 2007 against Blackburn Rovers. He even went on to score his first group-stage goal in the Champions League held in the month that followed.
Eduardo Da Silva performed exceptionally well in the Carling Cup scoring two braces in two consecutive matches against Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers, which eventually led Arsenal to the semi-finals of the tournament. He made it to the starting eleven in the Premiership match at Everton, and scored his first two Premiership goals in the match which was finally won by Arsenal.
Eduardo Da Silva played for the first time in the Football Association (FA) Cup held in January 2008 and scored an early goal against Burnley. He pitched Arsenal to great heights by contributing to the team during the Premier League in February 2008.
