Mikaël Silvestre French Footballer From Chambray-lès-Tours

Early life

Mikaël Samy Silvestre was born on 9 August 1977 in Chambray-lès-Tours, in the Indre-et-Loire department of France. He started playing football with the Rennes academy in Brittany, and his reputation there led to a move abroad a few years later.

Career

Silvestre played as a defender, mostly at centre-back, though he could also play at left-back. He was known for his pace and stamina and was comfortable on the ball. His league career began at Stade Rennais, and in 1998 he signed for Inter Milan, for whom he made 31 appearances in Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League.

In September 1999 he joined Manchester United for 4 million pounds, and he played his first game for the club the next day against Liverpool at Anfield. His nine seasons there made up the longest stretch of his career. By the 2001-02 season he had become a regular in the defence, useful both at the back and when moving forward from left-back, and he later settled in the centre of defence for long periods, partnering players such as Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown. The arrival of Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra in January 2006 made it harder for him to hold a starting place, and in August 2006 he signed a new contract. His last season at the club, 2007-08, ended with a UEFA Champions League title.

With Manchester United he won five Premier League titles, in 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07 and 2007-08, as well as the FA Cup in 2003-04, the Football League Cup in 2005-06, two FA Community Shields and the Intercontinental Cup in 1999. Team-mates on record from those years include Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano Ronaldo.

On 20 August 2008 he moved to Arsenal on a two-year contract. He was the first player to go directly between Manchester United and Arsenal since Viv Anderson in 1987. He made his debut in a 3-1 win over Everton in October 2008 and scored his first Premier League goal for the club against Tottenham Hotspur later that month, in a 4-4 draw. After the 2009-10 season Arsenal released him, and he signed for Werder Bremen in Germany, where he made 26 league appearances and scored once in his first season and stayed until the end of the 2011-12 season.

In February 2013 he signed a two-year deal with the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer, and he was released in January 2014. In September 2014 he joined the newly formed Chennaiyin FC of the Indian Super League, played 14 games and retired at the end of that season.

Silvestre also played for France. He was part of the under-20 side at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship and won his first senior cap on 27 February 2001 in a 1-0 friendly win over Germany. Between 2001 and 2006 he earned 40 caps. He won the FIFA Confederations Cup with France in 2001 and 2003, played at UEFA Euro 2004 and took part in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, finishing as a runner-up in 2006. He appeared in one game in the squad that reached the 2006 final.

Public roles

After he stopped playing, Silvestre became director of football at his former club Rennes in July 2015, and he left that role by mutual consent on 22 December 2016. On 15 December 2021, with the backing of the esports organisation Galaxy Racer, he launched Talent Lyfe, an agency that represents athletes and young talent in sport.