A controversial former Mamelodi Sundowns star has now been called up by his African national team after four years in the cold.
Toni Silva, a player who is infamous for a scathing letter from him aimed at Pitso Mosimane a few years ago, has been named in the Guinea-Bissau squad for the first time since November 2019.
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The former Liverpool star now plies his trade in Kuwait for Kazma SC, having joined the club in August 2023 on a free transfer.
With his country set to take on Ethiopia and Egypt in next month's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he is a notable inclusion in the side that is currently ranked 116th in the world, according to FIFA.
To South African audiences, Silva is arguably best remembered for his tirade of insults aimed at his former boss at Sundowns, Mosimane.
The Liverpool academy star lasted only one season at Chloorkop, playing a grand total of just 11 games in the 2018/19 campaign before parting ways with the club.
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After his departure, Mosimane was asked about Silva's short-lived stint at the club, and the South African tactician stated that it was the centre-forward who wanted out.
According to News24, Mosimane told reporters at the time: "Toni Silva did not work out. He did not want to stay. Every time he wanted to go. There's Themba Zwane, who has never played for Chelsea and Liverpool, and he gives you more. There's [Gaston] Sirino, there's [Lebohang] Maboe."
This infuriated Silva, who then released a long scathing letter to the media, lambasting Mosimane and accusing him of favouritism.
"So this is my response: Pitso you are the weakest coach I have ever had in my life," he wrote.
"You are arrogant and your ego does not help you as you fail to make your players happy, but killing dreams and player's careers, then turn around and say 'it didn't work out'. I was under your management for six months and all we do is the same training until the day I left, and you call yourself a good coach? You always say if you play good in one match, you will play the next match, but that's not true because you have favouritism.
"You took me from Europe because you saw the quality of player that I am and brought me to South Africa, now you want to say 'it didn't work out'? All the leagues I've played for are bigger than the one you're coaching. I decided to leave because I don't take shit from anyone, when I got there and saw how unprofessional it was, I told you I want to leave and you begged me to stay, sending me messages every day saying 'You were good today in training', and 'best winger in the club, one on one'.
"Now you have the nerve to talk about me? You stopped playing me because I stood up for myself and told you I don't want to play striker as it's not my position, so you got frustrated."
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After leaving Sundowns in January 2019, Silva went on to play for clubs in Egypt, Romania and Kazakhstan, before his switch to current team Kazma in Kuwait in August last year.
To date, he has made 17 appearances for Guinea-Bissau, scoring two goals and providing one assist after making his international debut in June 2016.
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