Paulo Silas

Paulo Silas do Prado Pereira (born 27 August 1965), also known as Paulo Silas, Silas Pereira or simply Silas, is a Brazilian football pundit, coach, and former professional player.

In his playing career as a central midfielder, he broke through at São Paulo in the mid-1980s, before playing for Sporting CP in Portugal, Cesena and Sampdoria in Italy, and San Lorenzo in Argentina among others.

During his playing career from 1984 to 2003 he played in Brazil, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina, Japan and Italy at São Paulo, Internacional, Vasco da Gama, Atlético Paranaense, Rio Branco de Americana, Ituano, América Mineiro, Portuguesa, Internacional de Limeira, Sporting Lisbon, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Central Español, Kyoto Purple Sanga, A.C. Cesena and U.C. Sampdoria.

After winning South American and world titles with the under-20 team in 1985, he earned 34 caps for Brazil between 1986 and 1992.

In 1985, Silas was part of the Brazil under-20 team that won the South American Championship and the FIFA World Youth Championship.

He was chosen for the FIFA World Cup in 1986 and 1990 and the Copa América in 1987 and 1989, winning the latter.

Silas made his international debut for Brazil on 16 March 1986 in a 3–0 friendly loss away to Hungary.

He went to the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, where he made late substitute appearances in the last 16 win over Poland and the penalty shootout elimination by France in the quarter-finals.

At the 1987 Copa América, he played once against Venezuela in a group-stage exit; he played five games of the 1989 edition victory on home soil.

Silas scored the opening goal on his Sporting debut on 21 August 1988, a 2–1 win away to Leixões on the first day of the Primeira Liga season; of his 14 goals in 52 games for the team from Lisbon, this was the only header.

On 5 October that year in the first round of the UEFA Cup, he netted in a 2–1 win away to Ajax in Amsterdam (6–3 aggregate).

On 20 August 1989, Silas scored his only international goal in a 6–0 win over Venezuela in 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification at the Estádio do Morumbi.

He made three appearances off the bench, including the 1–0 loss to rivals Argentina in the last 16.

Silas played his last game for Sporting on 25 March 1990, scoring in a 2–1 loss to rivals Benfica in the Estádio da Luz.

Amidst the club's financial crisis, they were unable to pay his insurance, leaving him unable to complete the season; the issue was covered up by an ankle injury he suffered for Brazil against England.

He replaced Rogério Lourenço, and got the job instead of 1994 FIFA World Cup-winning manager Carlos Alberto Parreira.

He was hired by the club's director Zico in his hometown of Campinas, where Flamengo had travelled to play Guarani.

Silas began working as a manager in 2007, and led Avaí in three spells, including their best Campeonato Brasileiro Série A finish of 6th in 2009.

He briefly managed Grêmio and Flamengo in the same league the following year, and Al-Arabi and Al-Gharafa of the Qatar Stars League.

Silas was born in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.

The Portuguese footballer Silas, who was a youth player at Sporting CP when the Brazilian was a first team player, took his nickname from his resemblance to him.

He is the young brother of the also footballer Eli Carlos, and twin brother of Paulo Pereira.

Silas was assistant to Zetti at Paraná and Fortaleza, and succeeded him at the latter for his first job in management in November 2007.

The following March, he was signed by Avaí, who had previously been linked with Zetti.

He led the newly promoted club from Santa Catarina to a best-ever sixth place in the 2009 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

In December 2009, Silas was hired by Grêmio.

He won the Campeonato Gaúcho state title in 2010 against his former club Internacional, but said that his team were not ready for the national league.

Also in May, his team made the Copa do Brasil semi-finals, losing 6–5 on aggregate to Santos.

On 29 August 2010, Silas was hired by Flamengo on a one-year deal.

Silas' debut on 1 September 2010 was a 1–0 loss away to Cruzeiro.

Silas returned to Avaí in February 2011.

After losing all three of the first games of the national season, he left by his own accord for Al-Arabi in the Qatar Stars League.

In March 2012, he moved to Al-Gharafa in the same league, winning 4–1 on his debut the following day against Al Ahli with two goals by compatriot Diego Tardelli.

Having son the Emir of Qatar Cup in the less than three months of his initial contract with the club from Al Rayyan, Silas signed a new one-year deal in June 2012.

On 27 November, he terminated his deal so he could look at offers from other Middle Eastern or Brazilian clubs.

He was dismissed on 8 August after taking two wins from 13 games in that championship to leave the team in 18th; a goalless draw in the Grenal derby against Inter had saved his job a week earlier.

Silas returned to Brazil in a 45-day spell at Naútico ending on 2 June 2013.

His debut was an elimination from the Copa do Brasil by CRAC-GO, followed by elimination from the Campeonato Pernambucano semi-finals by Santa Cruz and taking one point from three games at the start of the Série A season.

He was dismissed on 4 October having won once and drawn six times in ten games, leaving the team in 15th.

After his penultimate game, he publicly criticised defender Jean for scoring an own goal in a 1–1 draw at Goiás.