Twice the eyes were on André Silva at the European Championship opening game of the Portuguese.
The first time he was substituted on against Hungary in the 81st minute.
The second time, when he jumped up in the storm center three minutes later so as not to get in the way of his team-mate Raphael Guerreiro when he shot on goal.
Everything was done right, because the opening goal of the professional footballer from Borussia Dortmund released the defending champion and marked the beginning of the 3-0 win that was won late.
Thomas Klemm
Editor in the "Money & More" section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
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Silva's first European Championship appearance was symbolic of the role that the Eintracht Frankfurt striker plays in the Portuguese national team: right in the middle of it all, but only there.
“We have a lot of quality in the squad and we are a strong community,” said Silva these days.
"But I know that I can help the team a lot."
If coach Fernando Santos lets him again in the second group game this Saturday (6 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship, on ARD and MagentaTV) against Germany.
In Portuguese circles, Andrè Silva has not only been in demand as an attacker, but also as a declarer of Germany.
The DFB selection is in a transitional stage because Joachim Löw is quitting as national coach and a number of new players have appeared, Silva told his compatriots.
“We have to be very careful.
The coach's last games could give the German team an extra boost. "
"Winning mentality developed"
The Portuguese are self-confident. The EM squad is full of selected football champions from all over the world: players from Manchester City who triumphed in the English Premier League and made it to the Champions League final; Professionals from the titleholders from Spain, France, Portugal as well as from old and new participants in the premier class. “The team has developed a winning mentality,” says Rúben Dias. The Manchester City center-back is the prime example: he was voted best player of the previous Premier League season. For Silva it was “only” enough for the Europa League with unity.
For Rúben Dias, the internal competition creates the best conditions to make it far in the tournament.
When a lot of seasoned people fight for a few places, one pushes each other to perform at their best.
Seen in this light, Silva is an ideal challenger for regulars like Diogo Jota from Liverpool FC, for whom the Eintracht professional came on both in the last friendly against Israel and in the first European Championship game against Hungary.
He has become more stable at Eintracht and knows how to get the best out of himself, said Silva.
The fact that he played for the same club for two years for the first time contributed to this: "I've learned in my career that you can't always control things." It's no different in the national team.
In the midst of such a highly decorated troop, it is not easy to get noticed and assert yourself. Even if you've had an outstanding season like Silva and became the second best Bundesliga scorer behind world footballer Robert Lewandowski. If you compare Silva's 28 Bundesliga goals with the results of his own colleagues or the German players, his final strength becomes clear in all its dimensions: The three offensive forces of FC Bayern Munich who are active in the national team, i.e. Thomas Müller, Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané, are In the past season they only got 27 Bundesliga goals together.
Statistically, Silva doesn't even have to shy away from comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar has scored 29 goals for Juventus Turin in Serie A. Converted to his playing times, Ronaldo hit an average of every 97 minutes. It took Silva from one Eintracht hit to the next 99 minutes. For comparison: Gnabry, the most effective from the DFB squad, scored every 165 minutes in the Bayern jersey.
For Portugal's former star striker Nuno Gomes, with six goals among the top goalscorers in European Championship history, the Frankfurt professional's breakthrough came as a bit of a surprise. "He played a fantastic season," said Gomes. Now Silva could also become a formative figure in the Selecção. Silva would like to confirm that this Saturday. The Munich arena is one of the Bundesliga stadiums in which the Eintracht striker has not yet scored.