India Super League side Bengaluru FC signed Brazilian forward, Cleiton Silva into the side from Thai league side Suphanburi.
The team struggled in front of goal last season and brought in the Thai League T1 all-time scorer in June on a one year contract with an option to extend the deal for another year.
The 33-year-old is the first foreign signing for Bengaluru and has been handed the number 23 jersey.
Despite been born and bred in Brazil, Cleiton Silva has never represented the Brazilian national team, his exploits at club level, not deemed enough to earn a call-up.
Silva made his professional debut for Rio De Janeiro based Madureira FC in 2008 after getting promoted from the team’s youth team. His goal return in his first season was impressive scoring 15 goals in 37 appearances.
He immediately moved to Thailand to join Super Power Samut Prakan in 2010, and He made 28 appearances in two years scoring 17 goals.
His stay at Power Samut Prakan was not for long as he moved to Police Tero Sasana in 2012, winning the Golden Boot with 24 goals.
He also won the Thai League championship and Striker of the Year gong for his consistent displays on the pitch.
A stint outside Thailand after a fantastic season with Police Tero came with Mexico Liga MX side Delfines, and it was a time to forget as he only scored a goal in eight appearances.
He returned to Thailand and signed for Muangthong United in 2014 scoring 57 goals in 79 games in three years.
His first season back was quiet, but he had 25 goals in 33 appearances in his second season and 33 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions in his third.
In so doing, he became the first foreigner to hit 100 goals in the Thai League winning both the league title and the League Cup in that season and also playing in the AFC Champions League.
Cleiton Silva played in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Shenxin In 2017, scoring 17 goals in 26 appearances.
He only spent one season in China, choosing to return to Thailand this time with Chiangrai United at the end of the season, he scored just five times in 17 matches.
Silva’s last Thai club before joining Bengaluru was Suphanburi FC in 2018 where he scored 20 goals in 42 appearances, and he scored 20 goals during his stay at the club.
Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu
