Tuesday 23 September 2008

Da Silva Eduardo Bio

Da Silva is a Croatian international striker of Brazilian descent who signed for Arsenal from Dinamo Zagreb on a four-year contract for a fee of around £8million.

He suffered a horrific compound fracture on his left fibula and a dislocated ankle from a foul by Martin Taylor in the match against Birmingham City in February 2008 and missed out on Euro 2008 with the injury.

The 24-year-old striker moved to Croatia at the age of 15 and took Croatian nationality in 2002.

Joining Dinamo Zagreb he initially took time to settle and was subsequently loaned to Bangu Atlético Clube and then to NK Inker Zapreaic who at the time played in the second tier of the Croatian football league.

He then made the return back to Dinamo where he established himself as a first team player in the 2003/04 season.

Da Silva has proved himself to be a prolific marksman during his time with Dinamo Zagreb and he has been voted Croatian Player of the Year in 2004 and 2006, and was the Croatian League's top scorer in both 2006 and 2007.

The 2006/07 season showcased his goalscoring talent, as he scored the most goals ever in a season of the Prva HNL, breaking a 13-year-old record set by former Dinamo striker Goran Vlaovic, netting 34 times in 32 games.

Eduardo made his Premier League debut with Arsenal on 19 August 2007 in the 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers and scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League qualifier against Sparta Prague.

However, Eduardo suffered a broken left fibula and an open dislocation of his left ankle in the third minute of Arsenal's match against Birmingham City in February 2008, following a high tackle by Martin Taylor, for which Taylor was sent off.

His injury was so graphic that replays of the incident were not shown, and it was reported that he would be out for around 9-12 months. Although he he said he would return in time for the 2008/09 season.

After initially impressing, Eduardo's injury could not have come at a worse time and Arsenal's title challenge was derailed as the players struggled to come to terms with their team-mate's plight.

Still with a lot to prove, the striker will hope his injury does not affect his future performances for the club.

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