Athletico closes the signing of reinforcement from ex-Benfica and Fiorentina

Athletico forwarded the signing of the right-back Gilberto33 years old, who defended Bahia. The player is expected this Monday (22), at CT do Caju, where he must perform again together with the rest of the red and black squad for the remainder of the season. The information was released by the journalist Monique Vilela.

Gilberto is the third reinforcement agreed by Furacão for the next transfer window, which opens on July 20th and closes on September 11th. In addition to him, the club also announced the arrivals of Colombian striker Jorge Rivaldo and defender Bruno Baldini, who arrives to initially join the under-20 team.

In 2026, for Bahia, the full-back played ten matches, seven for the Brazilian Championship, two for the Libertadores and one for the Campeonato Baiano. The player missed part of the season after suffering an appendix injury and undergoing surgery, which sidelined him for seven games. His contract with Bahia was valid until December 2026.

Hired by Bahia in 2023, Gilberto leaves Tricolor after 106 matches, with three goals scored and ten assists. At Furacão, the player arrives to increase the competition for the right flank. Currently, Odair Hellmann has Argentine Gastón Benavídez and young Gilberto, on loan from Palmeiras, for the position.

The new reinforcement was a request from the athletic trainer. The two already worked together in 2020, at Fluminense, before the full-back’s transfer to Benfica, from Portugal.

Meet Gilberto, Athletico’s reinforcement

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Gilberto was revealed by Centro de Futebol Zico, CFZ, a club that competes in lower divisions of Rio de Janeiro football.

Still young, he went to Botafogo, which acquired 50% of his economic rights. The player debuted as a professional in 2011 and, in 2013, managed to establish himself in the main team, with 20 matches in the season.

He then went on loan to Internacional, where he played 28 games, before returning to Botafogo. In 2015, it was sold to Fiorentina, from Italy, for 1 million euros, around R$3.4 million at the price at the time.

During his first visit to Europe, however, he was unable to establish himself. For Fiorentina, he made just seven appearances and ended up loaned to Hellas Verona and Latina, also in Italy, where he played a further 14 games.

Afterwards, he returned to Brazil and gained space again. He was a starter at Vasco, in 2017, and at Fluminense, in 2018, where he finished with nine direct goal appearances in 34 games, six goals and three assists. The good performance made the Rio club acquire 50% of its rights from Fiorentina for just 80 thousand euros.

In 2020, Fluminense sold Gilberto to Benfica. In Portugal, the full-back remained for three seasons, played 106 matches, scored eight goals and provided seven assists. In July 2023, he was bought by Bahia for 3 million euros, in one of the club’s first signings under the command of Grupo City.