IRAIW Interview with Henrique Silva

Henrique Silva is a Brazilian forward who's played in a multitude of countries and cultures. That said, the 33-year-old made his name with orange-baring side: Brisbane Roar. I managed to sit down with the player for a little chat about the Roar, Australia and his career in general. 1. What started your interest in football? In Brazil, it is normal for every kid to have a football attached to them from birth! It’s very easy to play football with your mates every day. It’s in the depth of Brazilian culture, we simply have to play it. 2. You started your career with America Mineiro and later Feyenoord, what was it like in the beginning? I think with Mineiro, it was mainly for fun. I wasn’t playing for that much money at first in Brazil. Yet, things got very serious very fast when I went to Holland to play for Feyenoord. I was very young when I went there, so it was really a dream come true for me. It was amazing to get involved with European football so early for me, I was exposed to an incredibly high level of play. Oh, and of course, the culture. Just a little a different! I have good memories of my youth days at that club. 3. So fast forward a bit, how did you join Brisbane Roar for the first time? Well, I never imagined that I would join this club or ever play in Australia. I have a good friend, Reinaldo, who was playing at the club already in 2009. He told me that was space here. After talking to him and some club officials, I signed on the dotted line and became a Brisbane Roar player.

4. What makes the club so special? This club, isn’t just a club. It is a family. Our rich culture makes us special. You can bring your family here. There’s a friendly atmosphere which I think is rare in most football grounds. We celebrate the game in a positive way, everyone has that great feeling and happy-energy. Which is great for us players as its supportive for us. 5. So with all that in mind, can you describe the feeling when you won titles with the Roar? I’ll try! Here at the Roar we work hard. We try to match our fans level’s of enthusiasm. Pre-season, throughout the season and of course in the post-season. We always have to give 100%. When we do that we always believe that we can succeed. That coupled with the club’s feelings and emotions, it’s truly amazing. 6. In addition to Australia, you’ve also played in Malaysia and Thailand, what were they like? Totally different to Australia. My experience… You know, I don’t really want to be negative. It just wasn’t what I was looking for or what I was accustomed to here in Australia. I didn’t really get on with the other players in Asia, so I decided it was best for me to leave. 7. Having played in for several clubs in Brazil, what’s your opinion on their league system? Do you think the league is declining? It’s still strong. I don’t think the league itself has much to worry about. It’s largely competitive. I think there are some issues around the players though. I think too many young players are leaving Brazil too early in their career.