The defender had a two-year stint with Arsenal around the start of the decade, but many would have forgiven him for calling time on a highly-successful career when he won the Champions League with Barcelona in Rome last May.
But the international, who turned 35 two days ago, was keen for another crack at the Barclays Premier League, which he still sees as the best in the world despite his time in La Liga since leaving the Gunners.
Sylvinho said: “It’s great news for me that I’m back in the Premier League. Every player likes to play in this league, this is my second chance and I’m very proud to have been asked to come back over here.
“This club is changing a lot, but they have a great mentality and they want to make this club even bigger. That’s great to hear for me, and to be part of this project will be exciting. A lot of good players have come here already, and it is promising to be a great season.”
City fans will be happy to welcome a player whose last competitive game was a win over Manchester United, and on the highest stage of all, but did Sylvinho think of calling it a day after such a momentous night in Italy?
“I didn’t think about that,” he explained. “That game was one of the most important games I would ever play. I did not think beyond it, but everything went well, we beat United and we won the Champions League. I knew inside that I could still play, I was still hungry and I love the game, so that’s why I wanted to carry on.
The Blues take on United in under a month, giving Sylvinho a chance to sample the local rivalry first hand, and having played in north London derbies it’s a prospect he is relishing.
“I can understand that! Playing against them again would be nice, but we have a lot of games after the international break so we have to prepare to be strong for those because all games in the Premier League are difficult. It’s not just about when you play Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool, every game is hard so you have to be ready for them,” he said.
Teaming up with the mercurial talent of fellow countryman Robinho is also exciting Sylvinho, who added: “I know him, and I spoke to him just after I signed but I have known him for a few years. He is really happy, he enjoys the Premier League and he has adapted to it really quickly. I think he can improve a little bit more, but we will talk a lot, I may have more experience than him over here but he has already been doing OK without me!”
It’s not just about when you play Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool, every game is hard so you have to be ready for them.
Sylvinho
The defender adds further strength to a squad boosted by the arrival of Joleon Lescott on Tuesday night, but Sylvinho’s experiences in his career so far tell him this is precisely what is needed.
“Every player likes to play 100% of the time,” he continued, “but you have to understand that the boss makes the decisions. You need a group of 24 or 25 players training at a high level to cope with all the different competitions over here.”
And that will be music to the ears of manager Mark Hughes, who sees the options now before him as giving City the best possible chance of success.
He said: “We want strength in all positions, and what we have now is good cover on that left-hand side. We don’t want people to become complacent, we want them to perform to stay in the team and that’s what we will have in all areas now. We will look to freshen it up, rotate positions and try to bring freshness to the squad. Everybody has to be ready and capable of hitting a certain level, I think we’re getting to that point now.
“Sylvinho is an experienced and seasoned campaigner with great experience of this league, and he will add to the good influences in the dressing room.”
