Playing position 2003–2007 Salgueiros Weight 78 kg Parents Álvaro Silva | Number 10 Height 1.85 m Current team FC Porto (#10 / Forward) Siblings Afonso Silva | |
Full name André Miguel Valente da Silva Date of birth (1995-11-06) 6 November 1995 (age 21) Place of birth Baguim do Monte, Portugal Similar Otávio Edmilson da Silva, Diogo Jota, Rúben Neves, Iván Marcano, Yacine Brahimi Profiles | ||
André Miguel Valente da Silva ([ɐ̃ˈdɾɛ ˈsiwvɐ]; born 6 November 1995) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a striker for FC Porto and the Portugal national team.
Contents
Club career
Silva was born in Baguim do Monte, a local parish in Gondomar, and started playing football with Porto-based S.C. Salgueiros. He had a brief spell with neighbouring Boavista FC, but quickly returned to his previous club, now renamed Salgueiros 08.
Silva finished his formation with FC Porto, having signed with the juniors in 2011 at the age of 15. On 12 August 2013, he made his professional debut, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute for Tozé as the B-team won 3–2 away against S.C. Beira-Mar for the Segunda Liga championship.
Silva finished his second season with 34 games and seven goals, helping Porto B to the 13th position in the second level. Highlights included a brace on 4 January 2015, for a 3–0 home success over Vitória de Guimarães B.
Silva made his competitive debut for the first team on 29 December 2015, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–3 home loss against C.S. Marítimo for the Taça da Liga. His maiden appearance in the Primeira Liga occurred four days later, as he replaced Vincent Aboubakar for the last 20 minutes in a 0–2 defeat at Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Silva started the 2015–16 campaign as fourth-choice striker behind Aboubakar and Dani Osvaldo, and his plight worsened in January 2016 with the acquisition of Suk Hyun-jun and Moussa Marega. However, after José Peseiro replaced Julen Lopetegui as manager, he received more opportunities, and scored his first league goal in a 4–0 home win over Boavista, in the last match. He also started in the final of the Taça de Portugal on 22 May, helping his team recover from a 0–2 deficit against S.C. Braga with a brace, which included a bicycle kick in the last-minute (eventual 2–4 loss on penalties).
Silva began 2016–17 in good form, with goals in his first two league games against Rio Ave F.C. and G.D. Estoril Praia, while also scoring in Porto's 1–1 draw at home to A.S. Roma for the UEFA Champions League's play-off round. On 21 August 2016 he signed a new five-year contract, which included a release clause of €60 million.
International career
Silva represented Portugal at every youth level. He participated with the under-20 team at the 2015 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals in the group stage, as the nation reached the quarter-finals; previously, at the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, he became the first player ever to net four times in a single match (6–1 group stage defeat of Hungary), in an eventual runner-up finish for the under-19s.
On 8 September 2015, in his first appearance with the under-21 side, Silva scored a hat-trick in 19 minutes (both halfs combined), contributing to a 6–1 win against Albania for the 2017 European Under-21 Championship qualifiers. He was called up for the first time to the senior team by head coach Fernando Santos the following 26 August, playing the second half of a 5–0 friendly win over Gibraltar in Porto on 1 September.
Silva scored his first goal with Portugal's main squad on 7 October 2016, featuring the entire 6–0 defeat of Andorra for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Three days later, for the same competition, he netted three times in the first half of an eventual 6–0 triumph in the Faroe Islands.