Brazilian Silva rejoins Esteghlal
Sports Desk
Brazilian center-back Raphael Silva rejoined Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal as a free agent on a season-and-a-half long contract.
Silva, 31, first signed for Esteghlal from Saudi side Al Faisaly in March 2022 and made 42 appearances for the Tehran Blues before parting ways with the club by the end of last season.
He was part of the team under ex-manager Farhad Majidi, which lifted the Iranian top-flight trophy in the 2021/22 campaign without conceding a single defeat.
An Iranian Super Cup winner in 2022, Silva finished third in the league with Esteghlal last season and settled for the runner-up spot in the Iranian Hazfi Cup after a 2-1 loss to archrival Persepolis in May.
The Brazilian is the first winter signing by Esteghlal head coach Javad Nekounam, who, on his first season in charge, has led the Blues to the top spot of the Iranian league table with 31 points – one clear of Sepahan and two above defending champion Persepolis – before the mid-season break.