Flavio Silva: I’m not Messi or Ronaldo, but I trust my strengths to deliver goals

Silva, who joined Chiefs at the beginning of the season, has now scored eight goals and provided one assist in 24 matches across all competitions. Coming from the Indonesian League, Silva didn’t waste time making an impact, scoring in his first game against Golden Arrows last year. He was also on target this past weekend during the 2-0 win over TS Galaxy.

"I'm sure it's always about the team. I told my teammates I can score a lot of goals, but I am not Messi and I am not Ronaldo. I am not going to dribble three or four players and score goals," said Silva

"I make my movements, and they will pass to me. I believe in them, so yeah, it's always about the team. I will make my movement."

Silva’s impressive scoring rate at Chiefs has also earned him a call-up to the Guinea-Bissau national team, and he made his international debut last month, during an international friendly match against Burkina Faso. 

Despite his solid scoring rate ratio, Silva has not escaped criticism from the hard-to-please and success-hungry Chiefs fans, but it’s not something the former Portuguese junior international takes to heart.

"For me, since the criticism is not personal, it's okay. It means that I am not playing well; I can improve. If I play well, I know they are going to greet me, respect me, and give me love. So for me, this is okay ; it's not a problem. It is part of the game."

Just a few weeks ago, Amakhosi beat bottom-of-the-log side Magesi FC 2-0 in Durban, and they meet again tonight at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. It’s a clash between two teams at different ends of the table, and Silva says their focus is on bagging the top three finish.

Chiefs had a fairly good run on their return to the CAF inter-club competitions this season, failing just in their group game to earn some quarter-final qualification. Silva says their main target now is a top-three finish and to keep on competing with the teams above them.

Silva is also happy to have contributed to this positive turnaround for the team, which has seen them win four games in a row. Playing for one of the biggest clubs on the continent is also a dream come true for the 30-year-old lanky striker.