Fancy a drinking game? Take a shot every time Fabio Silva says "the most important" in an interview. Fair warning: you'll need to hold your drink.
Silva used "the most important" four times while speaking to the press on Saturday evening after coming off the bench to score in Borussia Dortmund's 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich. During his few minutes in the mixed zone, another favourite phrase emerged: "Everyone can see."
Here's a sample: "The most important thing was the mentality. We came here to show that we want to fight for titles and are not afraid of any team. I think everyone can see that we have a top squad this season to fight for big goals," said Silva. Like his team-mate Nico Schlotterbeck, who had appeared shortly before him, he looked every bit as confident as he sounded.
Coming off the bench in Munich, the Portuguese once again produced an excellent performance. His goal was a technical delight: he anticipated where the ball would land, took a deliberate touch to set up the shot, turned in a tight space and finished precisely.
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Paco Alcacer? Fabio Silva is the best substitute in BVB history!
"My father always told me that I have to 'smell' the ball in the penalty area. And I was there to convert the rebound. I'm glad I could help the team," he said. Silva has already scored five goals in competitive matches this season, compared with three in the whole of last year. Seven goal involvements in 13 appearances is an impressive return for a player who has started only five times.
Could Silva be Dortmund's best-ever substitute? Former BVB forward Paco Alcacer is the obvious rival for that title, and he holds the Bundesliga record. The Spaniard scored twelve goals off the bench for the Westphalians between 2018 and 2020. No player in the league's history has scored more as a substitute.
Silva has scored six goals as a substitute for Borussia Dortmund. Set aside the admittedly significant matter of goals, though, and the 24-year-old has the edge over Alcacer. He brings infectious energy as soon as he comes on, makes himself available for passes and threatens to score or create. His work rate off the bench is remarkable.
Getty ImagesFabio Silva gave BVB a better result seven times
The numbers back up Silva's impact. He has recorded 17 goal involvements in 52 competitive appearances for Dortmund, with eight goals and nine assists. Seven of those involvements helped BVB secure a better result than they were heading for when he came on.
Yet Silva's future in the Ruhr region was far from certain this summer. Just a year after Dortmund paid Wolverhampton Wanderers 22.5 million euros for the one-cap international, he and his entourage were strongly interested in a move.
A season in the shadow of established starter Serhou Guirassy had apparently taken its toll. Coach Niko Kovac kept faith with Guirassy even during periods of glaring goallessness. Silva still managed a more than respectable ten goal involvements, three goals and seven assists, but started only ten of his 39 competitive appearances.
Getty ImagesSummer transfer rumours: what Fabio Silva says now
"There was too much fuss around me during the transfer window, but that's normal and part of football," Silva said in Munich, looking back on that period around three months ago. A meeting with Kovac and sporting director Ole Book changed his mind. "We had a great conversation before the transfer window closed. I feel - and I knew it too - that I still have a lot to give this club. I have even more to give it. I love playing for this club and the fans. I'm happy here," he said.
Starting remains a challenge for Silva, who has performed much better off the bench at Dortmund. In the starting XI, he sometimes tries to do too much, overthinks his decisions and looks to force moments on his own. BVB won only three of the ten matches he started last season. In four of them, he played alongside Guirassy.
That partnership has clearly improved this season. The two forwards appear to enjoy playing together, and they have linked up well on several occasions. "It's not just about goals. As a player, I'm more than just a goalscorer," Silva said. "Even more so when I'm on the pitch with Serhou. We combine very well. He is one of the best players in his position. I learn from him every day."
Getty ImagesBetween the bench and the starting XI: Fabio Silva appears to have accepted his BVB role
Silva returned to his new favourite phrase: "Everyone can see that sometimes we can play together and that we enjoy it." Sometimes they start together, sometimes Silva comes on later. At a club like BVB, with the Guinean competing for his place, he knows he will not always be in the starting XI.
Gone, it seems, is the grumpiness and slight petulance Silva occasionally showed in his first year and at the Super Cup at the start of the season. His performances have improved, too.
"Of course I prefer starting to sitting on the bench. If I claimed otherwise, I wouldn't be 100 per cent honest," Silva said. "I always try to stay positive during the week. When I see that I'm not playing, of course I'm annoyed at first, but I know I can be important for the team - this season I've been important both as a starter and as a substitute."
Getty ImagesAre BVB ready to win titles? "That is our weapon this season"
Kovac likes to call his substitutes "finishers", and they have delivered. BVB substitutes have recorded twelve goal involvements, putting them joint top of the league with RB Leipzig. Their eight assists leading to goals after eight matchdays are a new Bundesliga record.
Where that takes Dortmund remains unclear at this early stage of the season. But in the bowels of the Allianz Arena on Saturday, those involved made clear that BVB believe they can win silverware this year.
"We came here to win. That has to be our attitude this season," said Silva, who last won a title with PSV Eindhoven more than three years ago. "We have a lot of quality in our team. And we know we have a fantastic team this year. The players in the starting XI, the players who come off the bench: they always make their mark. That is our weapon this season: everyone sticks together, everyone is in the same boat and gives everything, because the fans and everyone at the club deserve to win titles."
Fabio Silva: his BVB performance figures
Competitive appearances | Goals | Assists |
52 | 8 | 9 |