Hiring reveals anxiety to find a notable figure at Athletico

The 33-year-old player terminated his contract with Bahia, as he had a contract until the end of this year and could sign with any other team for free. As Tricolor de Aço had no interest in renewal, the departure was brought forward with the Bahians maintaining 30% of the athlete’s economic rights, even without receiving any financial compensation.

Gilberto was a request from coach Odair Hellmann, who worked with the player in 2020, at Fluminense, and has played a fundamental role in the search for reinforcements. He works in partnership with President Mario Celso Petraglia, who gives the final approval, and director Marcio Lara, who is primarily responsible for the negotiations.

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“Odair helped me a lot in my career, I have immense gratitude for him. I look forward to meeting him, the whole group and being able to help”, declared Gilberto.

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Furthermore, he also highlighted the good campaign that Furacão had in the first semester, which was recognized as an attraction by the athlete himself. Athletico occupies fourth place in the Brasileirão, with 30 points, and is in the qualifying zone for next year’s Libertadores.

“For sure [o desempenho da equipe atraiu]. The team is doing very well and I hope to be able to contribute. The club has already done a lot in these first six months and now it’s just a matter of adding so we can continue to grow”, added the right-back.

Gilberto arrives to shadow Argentine Gastón Benavídez, the absolute starter in the sector in the first half of the year and who is the team’s biggest waiter in 2026, with five assists, alongside midfielder João Cruz. Benavídez also stood out for his great performances on the defensive side, being an option as a defender in the trio of defenders in the scheme set up by Odair.

The one who should miss minutes is young Gilberto, the namesake of Athletico’s new reinforcement. The 21-year-old full-back is on loan from Palmeiras until the end of this season and had some chances — there were five games in the Brasileirão, three as a starter, and one in the Copa do Brasil with the main squad, not counting the nine games (mostly with the aspiring team) in the State. With the contract until the end of this year, the player’s stay is increasingly difficult, even more so with the arrival of the veteran.

Athletico’s third reinforcement arrives on the day of the in-person re-presentation

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.

The detail is that he arrived at CT do Caju on the day of the official re-presentation of the Athletico squad. The athletes had already been doing physical activities, online, since last week, after 16 days of rest during the break in the national calendar for the 2026 World Cup.

In addition to resuming work, Furacão has already defined three friendlies during the interseason. Two of them are confirmed: only one will be in Curitiba, against Andraus, who were relegated in the last Campeonato Paranaense. The second did not have its rival announced, but it is scheduled for July 7th and will be held in the interior of São Paulo. Finally, Athletico’s last test before the return of the Brasileirão will be against Red Bull Bragantino, a rival in Serie A.

Check out the Hurricane schedule, with dates:

• Red Bull Bragantino x Athletico: July 11th (Saturday), in Bragança Paulista.
• Athletico x Andraus: July 3 (Friday), at CT do Caju, in Curitiba;
• Friendly with an opponent that has not yet been confirmed: July 7th (Tuesday), in the interior of São Paulo.