Douglas da Silva Reflects on Career, Says He Doesn't Miss Football

Former Hapoel Tel Aviv defender Douglas da Silva, considered one of the best foreign players to have played in Israel, recently spoke in fluent Hebrew on the "Yatzi'a Ha'itonut" (Press Box) program. Da Silva, a key member of the "golden generation" that won the double and reached the Champions League group stage with Hapoel Tel Aviv, is currently living in Florianopolis, Brazil.

He stated that he is not involved in football at all and is instead working in real estate, renting out properties. "I don't miss football, but I do follow Hapoel Tel Aviv. I saw we lost the derby again. It's not good," he admitted.

Da Silva expressed his strong identification with Hapoel Tel Aviv, calling its fans "the best in the world." He recalled playing at the Maracanã stadium with 70,000 spectators but maintained that nothing compared to Hapoel's "Sha'ar 5" stand. He named Eli Gutman as his greatest coach and found it most difficult to play against Raul of Schalke, and in Israel, against Itay Shechter when Shechter played for Maccabi Netanya.

His career highlights include winning the championship, the cup, and reaching the Champions League with Hapoel Tel Aviv. The toughest moment was a knee injury sustained in Salzburg. The most exciting goal was in his first derby against Maccabi Tel Aviv, a 1-0 winning header, after which he presented a Fujicom television to equipment manager Eli Bueno.

Da Silva also praised Walid Badir as the player he most enjoyed playing with, noting Badir's guidance and their strong connection on the field. He vividly remembered the championship-winning goal in 2010, describing the sequence of events involving a foul, a rebound, and a shot by Zahavi.