Douglas da Silva Reflects on Hapoel Tel Aviv Stint, Now in Real Estate

Douglas da Silva, once considered one of the best foreign players to grace Israeli football and a key member of Hapoel Tel Aviv's double-winning and Champions League-qualifying golden generation, has shared his current life away from the sport. Speaking fluent Hebrew, da Silva revealed he is living in Florianópolis, Brazil, and is not involved in football at all. Instead, he is engaged in the real estate business, renting out properties.

Da Silva admitted he doesn't miss football but continues to follow Hapoel Tel Aviv, expressing disappointment with their recent derby loss. He considers Hapoel Tel Aviv his most identified club, stating its fans are the best in the world, even surpassing those of Vasco da Gama where he won a championship with 70,000 spectators.

Reflecting on his career, he named Eli Guttman as his greatest coach. He found playing against Raul of Schalke difficult, and in Israel, Itay Shechter, when Shechter played for Maccabi Netanya, posed the biggest challenge. Da Silva cited the championship, cup, and Champions League qualification with Hapoel Tel Aviv as his career highlights, while a knee injury in Salzburg was his toughest moment.

He recalled his most emotional goal as the one in his first derby against Maccabi Tel Aviv, a 1-0 winning header, after which he gifted a Fujicom television to Hapoel Tel Aviv's equipment manager, Eli Bueno. Da Silva also praised his former teammate Walid Badir, describing their strong connection on the field and how he learned from Badir's guidance. He vividly remembered the championship-winning goal in 2010, detailing the play and the moment of the goal.