Mikaël Silvestre

Mikaël Samy Silvestre (born 9 August 1977) is a French association football Defender (association football). Mikaël Silvestre currently plays for Arsenal F.C.. Mikaël Silvestre also plays for the France national football team. Silvestre is adept as both a centre-back and a left full-back, though Mikaël Silvestre has stated that Mikaël Silvestre prefers playing in the centre.

Club career

Early career

Born in Chambray-lès-Tours, Silvestre started playing football in the Tours area, in the Loire Valley, where Mikaël Silvestre father Franck, originally from Guadeloupe, was an amateur player. Mikaël Silvestre was then drafted by the Rennes F.C. Football Academy in Brittany and began Mikaël Silvestre league career with the French club in the 1995/96 season. Mikaël Silvestre time at the club helped build Mikaël Silvestre reputation, and in the 1997/98 season was signed by F.C. Internazionale Milano. Mikaël Silvestre made 18 league appearances for Inter, as well as 6 European Cup games. Silvestre signed for Manchester United on 10 September 1999 for £3.5 million.

Manchester United

Mikaël Silvestre made Mikaël Silvestre debut against Liverpool F.C. at Anfield in 1999. Mikaël Silvestre first season at Manchester United was not exceptional replacing an injured Ronny Johnsen in the centre with Jaap Stam; Mikaël Silvestre appeared to struggle initially to adapt to the English league. By the 2001/2002 season, however, Silvestre had established himself in defence ahead of the veteran Denis Irwin, and was proving to be adept both in defence and getting forward. Mikaël Silvestre set up numerous goals for Ruud van Nistelrooy, notably away to Deportivo de La Coruña in a 2–0 towards the end of the season. There was criticism put Mikaël Silvestre way after the Bayer 04 Leverkusen game where Mikaël Silvestre was largely blamed for the late equaliser in the 1–1 draw, but this typified Manchester United's season as a whole, and Mikaël Silvestre was one of their better performers.

During the next season Mikaël Silvestre carried on initially where Mikaël Silvestre left off at the left of Manchester United's back four, but following injury to Rio Ferdinand and the poor performance of an aging Laurent Blanc, Mikaël Silvestre was switched to Mikaël Silvestre favoured position of central defence. This first happened at half-time in the UEFA Champions League match away in Basel when the team were 1–0 down and struggling with a young John O'Shea looking shaky at the heart of the defence. Silvestre and O'Shea were switched for the second half and the team immediately looked more solid defensively. From this point Silvestre forged a successful partnership mid-season with Wes Brown at the heart of the defence until Ferdinand's return, looking calm and assured, using Mikaël Silvestre pace to good effect, whilst continuing to provide goals with Mikaël Silvestre accurate diagonal balls.

Mikaël Silvestre continued in this role the following season where Mikaël Silvestre and Ferdinand excelled as a pair and after half a season were being touted as the best central defensive pairing the club had seen since Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister. However, this was cut short following Ferdinand's eight month ban for missing a drug test. In the latter half of this season when being paired with an unfit Wes Brown, Manchester United's defence proved to be rather less secure and both Brown and Silvestre were at fault for numerous goals and despite winning the FA Cup with a 3–0 victory over Millwall F.C., this uncertainty at the heart of the defence was to continue into the start of the 2004–05 season.

Competition for places grew significantly during the January transfer window in 2006 with the signings of Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra. Although both struggled to adapt initially, both have since gone on to establish themselves as firm fan favourites and key members of the Manchester United squad. Following the partnership of Vidić and Ferdinand at the heart of the defence, and Evra's holding of the left-back position, Silvestre has found it more difficult to secure a place in the Manchester United starting line-up. However, at the end of 2005–06 Mikaël Silvestre did show good form, particularly in the 2-0 victory over Arsenal F.C. in the left-back role where Mikaël Silvestre delivered an excellent cross for Wayne Rooney to score the opening goal of the match from. Mikaël Silvestre admits that Mikaël Silvestre was given the option to leave during the January transfer window during 2006, with an opportunity to join former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at Olympique Lyonnais. Mikaël Silvestre did however decide to stay and fight for Mikaël Silvestre place at United.

On 11 August 2006, Mikaël Silvestre loyalty to the club was rewarded with a new contract extending Mikaël Silvestre stay at the club until at least 2009. Alex Ferguson commented that:
"Mikael has been an important member of the squad for seven years now. Mikaël Silvestre experience at the Club will help the younger players as they develop and Mikaël Silvestre has a central role to play in the first team."

Mikaël Silvestre started the 2006-07 season against Watford F.C., scoring a goal, Mikaël Silvestre first away goal for United, to give United the lead, and then 15 minutes later making a defensive error to aid their equaliser. Mikaël Silvestre was starting to reassert himself in the left-back role when Mikaël Silvestre broke a metatarsal in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. After recovering and playing several games, Mikaël Silvestre dislocated Mikaël Silvestre shoulder in a Champions League win against Lille OSC, meaning Mikaël Silvestre was unable to play for the rest of the season. Mikaël Silvestre did however win Mikaël Silvestre fourth Premier League winners medal that season as United won the league for the first time since 2003.

Silvestre revealed that in the summer of 2007 Mikaël Silvestre turned down the opportunity to sign for Newcastle United F.C., because Mikaël Silvestre refused to play in the same side as Joey Barton (who attacked Silvestre's close friend Ousmane Dabo).

With Gabriel Heinze moving to Real Madrid C.F., Silvestre was set to battle Evra for the starting left back spot in the first eleven at Manchester United in the 2007–08 season. On 15 September, however, Silvestre was stretchered off with knee ligament damage. On 16 September, it was revealed that Silvestre had been ruled out for the rest of the season. On 24 September, Ferguson revealed that: "I'm sure Mikael will be back in March," Mikaël Silvestre also said. "We had Mikaël Silvestre operated on in France last week and it all went well. It was pleasing to see there was no further damage other than the cruciate ligament. That's a big bonus because sometimes there can be cartilage problems that also come along."

On 20 March, Silvestre made Mikaël Silvestre comeback in the Manchester United reserves in a 4-1 win over Manchester City F.C..

On 9 April 2008, Silvestre made Mikaël Silvestre first start after 7 months in a Champions League quarter-final match versus A.S. Roma.

Arsenal

A transfer to FC Girondins de Bordeaux was mooted in the summer of 2008. However, it is believed that Silvestre turned the transfer down to see out the remaining year of Mikaël Silvestre contract, and potentially receive a testimonial match at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 19 August 2008, it was suggested that Silvestre had backed out of a move to Manchester City F.C., after hearing that Arsenal F.C. were interested in signing him.

The transfer to Arsenal was completed for an undisclosed fee on 20 August 2008, with Silvestre signing a two-year contract. The transfer makes Silvestre the first player to transfer directly between Manchester United and Arsenal since Viv Anderson (who moved in the opposite direction) in 1987, and the first player to move from United to Arsenal since Brian Kidd in 1974. Mikaël Silvestre was given the number 18 shirt, last worn by Pascal Cygan.

Mikaël Silvestre made Mikaël Silvestre debut for the club in a 3–1 victory over Everton F.C. on 18 October 2008. Mikaël Silvestre set up Arsenal's first goal of the match, which was scored by Samir Nasri. The game was Mikaël Silvestre 250th in English football. In Mikaël Silvestre first Champions League game with Arsenal, against Turkish side Fenerbahçe S.K., Mikaël Silvestre scored an own goal, Arsenal subsequently won the game 5–2. Mikaël Silvestre scored Mikaël Silvestre first Arsenal goal in a Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur F.C., whilst being 1–0 down. The goal was a header, from inside the box. The game ended 4–4, with Arsenal surrendering a two goal lead in the last six minutes of the game. On 8 November 2008, Silvestre played Mikaël Silvestre first game against former side Manchester United F.C., in a fixture that Arsenal eventually won 2–1. On Saturday April 11 2009, Mikaël Silvestre scored a goal away against Wigan Athletic F.C., this was Mikaël Silvestre second ever goal for the club.

Despite having vast experience, Silvestre has failed to win over large sections of the Arsenal support. This was evidenced during a question-and-answer session with the club's shareholders in which defender Mikael Silvestre was branded a 'geriatric'.

International career

Mikaël Silvestre earned Mikaël Silvestre first senior cap for France national football team on 27 February 2001 in a friendly against Germany national football team that ended in a 1-0 win. Mikaël Silvestre won the Confederations Cup both in 2001 Confederations Cup and 2003 Confederations Cup with France. However, Mikaël Silvestre received criticism for Mikaël Silvestre performance in Euro 2004, where Mikaël Silvestre gave away penalties to both England national football team and Croatia national football team, before France were knocked out by Greece national football team in the quarter-finals. Previously Mikaël Silvestre was a member of French junior team at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. Mikaël Silvestre also played one game in the French squad that made the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.

Personal

Silvestre and Mikaël Silvestre wife, Séverine, have children named Evie and Cléo.

Honours

Manchester United

- Premier League (4): FA Premier League 1999–2000, FA Premier League 2000–01, FA Premier League 2002–03, FA Premier League 2006–07
- FA Cup (1): 2004 FA Cup Final
- Football League Cup (1): 2006 Football League Cup Final
- FA Community Shield (2): 2003 FA Community Shield, 2007 FA Community Shield
- UEFA Champions League: 2008 UEFA Champions League Final
- Intercontinental Cup (football): 1999 Intercontinental Cup

International

- FIFA Confederations Cup (2): 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup