Top 25 Arsenal players of the Premier League era - #20

Gilberto Silva

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Gilberto Silva will forever hold a unique place in Arsenal history as the scorer of their first ever competitive goal at the Emirates Stadium in 2006.

The Brazilian was first and foremost an influential defensive midfielder during his six-year stay with the Gunners, though, forming an effective partnership with Patrick Vieira following his arrival in 2002.

Gilberto made 32 league appearances during Arsenal's Invincible season and 164 in total for the club, scoring 17 goals including a career-best 10 in the 2006-07 campaign.

In all competitions he turned out 237 times for the Gunners, helping the club to the Premier League title, two FA Cups and the 2006 Champions League final before leaving for Panathinaikos in 2008.