PETALING JAYA: Veteran striker Bergson Da Silva is no longer the sole hotshot in Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT).
But the Brazilian, who has often been the Southern Tigers’ top hitman, isn’t complaining about having to compete for a regular place with Colombian striker Jorge Obregon, naturalised national forward Romel Morales and more recently, ex-Real Madrid frontman Jese Rodriguez.
Not even when he is used more as a substitute in cup games, especially in the FA and Malaysia Cups, and the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE).
That’s because lesser minutes on the pitch don’t seem to be lowering the 33-year-old Da Silva’s strike rate.
On Saturday, he came on as a substitute against Kuala Lumpur Rovers in the Malaysia Cup round of 16 second-leg match and made it look like business as usual by scoring one of JDT’s six goals in a rout at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
Double threat: Bergson Da Silva is ever ready to battle with Jese Rodrigues to be JDT’s top striker in the team.— JDTA nonchalant Da Silva said his bigger goal as a professional is to get results for the team, and the stiffer competition he faces to be the main striker doesn’t faze him at all.
“In JDT, it’s results first. It doesn’t matter how long I get to play in a game as l can still deliver and help the team win,’’ he said.
“Being a regular or not, I still train the way I do and I’m focused on preparing for every game.
“When I’m on the pitch, I treat every game like it’s a final where I must make an important contribution.
“In the game against Rovers, the coach fielded a lot of youngsters who played well and that shows the depth we have in the squad. We don’t have to be over reliant on any player.’’
Da Silva, however, is still very much a regular in the Super League, having started 10 games out of 12 and scoring 19 goals to be the leading scorer.
In the FA Cup, which JDT won, he featured in four games out of five and scored three goals.
In the ACLE, he has scored once in five substitute appearances.
Meanwhile, Da Silva has urged his teammates to bounce back from their 0-1 defeat to Shandong Taishan in the ACLE last week.
JDT’s next game is against Thai club Buriram United at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium tomorrow.
“Buriram are one of the best sides in Thailand. But we are the best in Malaysia, so we won’t settle for anything less than a win,’’ he said.
