Gilberto Oliveira Souza Junior, Gilberto for short, is a game-changer.
In announcing the signing of the 24-year-old Brazilian striker, Toronto FC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko delivered what he and MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke have long promised: a young, world-class goalscorer.
“This is a huge signing for us,” Bezbatchenko said. “We see this as a turning point not just for our team but for our league.”
While MLS teams have established a beachhead in landing big-name players entering the later stages of their career (think Thierry Henry and David Beckham, MLS rookies at 33), Gilberto represents a new benchmark: a coveted world class player going into, not coming out of, his prime.
A solid five-foot-ten inch player built for the rugged physical play of MLS, Gilberto spent the last two seasons on loan with Portuguesa where his 14 goals in 24 2013 games put him fifth on the scoring charts in Brazil’s top division.
“He has power and pace,” Bezbatchenko said, “he’s definitely a number nine striker. He can stretch the field so he creates space for his teammates. He has a good head on him so if we can get service into the box he’s going to score a lot of goals by being in the right location but he can also create his own shot by getting away from defenders.”
Since Leiweke hired Bezbathchenko in September, the two have scoured the globe searching for talent. That kind of face-to-face recruiting, Bezbatchenko said, is the new template for how the club wants to operate.
“We are trying to do things differently in the way we scout and identify players. We’re doing the hard work of traveling, seeing the player in person, trying to meet with them if their club will allow. We want this to be the TFC way, due diligence, getting in front of a player and telling them what our vision is.
“If a player has character, like some of the guys we are going after, they will know what’s best for them in their career and they will want to be a part of an exciting turnaround in Toronto,” he said. “You get their buy-in very quickly.”
Gilberto will join countryman Jackson as well as 22-year-old Argentine midfielder Matias Laba, one of the league’s most promising young players, in the attack.
Bezbatchenko said the club is far from finished acquiring front-line talent.
“I think you are going to really see where this club is going in a very short period of time,” he said.
