Prolific striker Silva’s Hong Kong passport regret, says watching team makes him sad
Prolific Tai Po striker Lucas Silva said he carried “a bit of regret” over missing his opportunity to play for Hong Kong, after ending a five-year stay in the city in 2021.
Back in Hong Kong since the beginning of last year, when he joined Tai Po, the Brazilian’s league-high 13 goals have helped propel his team to top spot ahead of Sunday’s crunch meeting with Eastern, who are second.
The 34-year-old also led the league’s scoring charts, with 15 goals, when he won the title with Kitchee in 2018. After a fallout with Kitchee, Silva joined Eastern midway through the 2019-20 season, but 18 months later left to join former club Aimoré in Brazil.
Silva, who was playing in Malaysia before signing for Tai Po, said while a lot of good things had happened after leaving the city, he did have some remorse over the decision.
“I see my friends playing for Hong Kong and it would be exciting,” he said. “Sometimes, I look and think they need another striker. But I try to not think about it too much, because it would make me sad.”
The centre-forward said becoming champions with his current team would outweigh his title achievement with Kitchee seven years ago.
“I always joke that if we win it, they should give us two trophies,” Silva said. “We’re a community club … we don’t have the facilities, or budgets, of Kitchee, Lee Man and Eastern. When I won with Kitchee, we had Diego Forlan and other big players. Here, we’re like soldiers.”
Lee Chi-kin, the Tai Po head coach, said Silva played through pain to score a hat-trick in last Sunday’s 5-2 win at Kowloon City, after he missed the previous week’s FA Cup victory over Kitchee with a foot injury.
Silva downplayed those fitness concerns, ahead of a clash with Eastern that “could make the difference at the end of the season”.
And while he said he respected Eastern’s “very good coach” Roberto Losada, Silva said Lee, who oversaw Tai Po’s 2018-19 title-winning campaign, was the league’s best boss.
“He always finds players who suit us,” Silva added. “Some teams spend lots of money and it doesn’t work, but he always finds a way to the top of the league.”
Earlier this year, Lee recruited former Brazil youth international forward Patrick Valverde, and rapid Colombian attacker Kevin Padilla.
“They really help us … with them, I just need to be in the box and enjoy the opportunities I get,” Silva added. “We’re in good shape to get the [league] trophy.”
Lee, however, is concerned about defensive injuries, and said he would “just do what I can” against Eastern.
Left midfielder Nicholas Benavides, who made his Hong Kong debut in October, has been relegated to the Tai Po bench.
“He has a confidence problem, his head goes down after any mistake,” Lee said. “He needs to overcome this to play professional football.
“Some of his crossing is crazy [poor]. He works hard every day, but I don’t know why he plays like this.”
https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3302311/prolific-striker-silvas-hong-kong-passport-regret-says-watching-team-makes-him-sad