Carlos Silva, former handball goalkeeper for Sporting and the national team, was decorated by the Lisbon City Council with the medal of municipal sports merit this Friday, in a ceremony that was attended by the president of the lions, Frederico Varandas, as well as Carlos Carneiro, director of handball at the Alvalade club.
The former player was extremely happy with the award: “Receiving this medal is an honor for a 71-year-old man who spent 25 years playing for clubs in Lisbon, who was born in Lisbon and grew up in Lisbon. I believe that now I have received all the awards and today I close here everything that is possible to receive. This attribution is only possible because I played a team sport in which the word ‘I’ does not exist, but ‘we’ do. I had the privilege of being captain of Sporting for many years and of being in the national team for 17 or 18 years, where I was captain for eight or nine. I share this with my colleagues and technicians who believed in me, in addition to the leaders, medical staff and wardrobes. All are important.”
Frederico Varandas praised the distinction to Carlos Silva: «I am always very happy when the value of people who deserve it is recognized in life. As president of Sporting, I have to say that our club’s history is made of heroes, who will always be the athletes, coaches and people who make it possible for us to pass on the passion for Sporting from generation to generation. The presidents and directors have the mission of creating heroes for the supporters and members, as they are the ones that matter within the clubs. Carlos Silva is not just an athlete, he is one of the few lions who spent 20 years at the service of handball, having given Sporting eight national titles and seven Portuguese Cups. In other words, the Sporting Museum owes a lot to all Carlos Silvas and today I have to thank him for everything he has done for our Sporting. Lisbon is his city, but Sporting CP will always be his home.”
The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, highlighted the fairness of awarding the medal: “Carlos Silva is perhaps the best handball goalkeeper in the history of our country and our objective was to honor him. The president of Sporting rightly said that football clubs create heroes, and mayors must honor them. We are honoring a very long and flawless career by a man who set an example. My mission is to honor these examples of work and dedication in sport. This medal is awarded to very few, only to people who played a very important role in the city. It is awarded by the mayor, but it is a medal that all Lisboners attribute to Carlos Silva for everything he has done for the city. »
