In March, Gremio midfielder Lucas Silva shared a shocking photo on social media of his face suturing after being hit by a cell phone thrown by a fan of rival Brazil International.
"Another sad chapter in our football, where violence in football seems to have increased recently," Silva tweeted after the incident, when he was hit in the mouth by a cellphone while celebrating a 3-0 victory for the third goal.
It was just the latest minor setback in Silva's bumpy career, as he was once considered the next generation of real madrid midfielders, but eventually ended up in The Brazilian Second Division.
Four months after leaving Real Madrid, he joined Gremio in January 2020, five years after he joined Real Madrid from Cruzeiro for €14 million, when manager Carlo Ancelotti called him the team's "future".
Silva tweeted: "I am very proud and content to wear this great shirt of Brazilian and world football. "Thank you for your trust, I will be committed, dedicated and hardworking."
Hard work doesn't always pay off, as does Silva, who played for Gremio. The former Copa Libertadores and Club World Cup final team was recently relegated in 2021 in 2017 due to poor results and frequent coach turnovers.
Silva is their hope, trying to take Gremio out of the quagmire of the Second Division. The 29-year-old is a core player in the team.
Real Madrid fans may not remember him now – after all, he has only played eight La Liga games in his four years at Real Madrid.
Then everything in the story begins beautifully. He was selected as the best midfielder of the Brazilian league in 2014 and crossed the Atlantic ocean to the Santiago Bernabeu, a dream come true.
"I'm really happy and motivated. I came to Real Madrid to learn and most importantly to help," Silva said at a Real Madrid media conference.
"I feel good and ready to shine on this shirt, it's the best club in the world. I've loved Real Madrid since I was a kid. I'm really happy to be in the city and I'm sure I'll be doing well here. ”
He made his La Liga debut in February 2015 and made his Champions League debut a few days later in the round of 16, when Real Madrid beat Schalke 04 2-0.
Silva, still a young man in Europe, was loaned to Marseille in 2014-15 to get more first-team playing time – but the problems began.
He was unable to take a place in Marseille's starting line-up and was frozen by The Ligue 1 side when he refused to report to loan-out Anderlecht in January.
He returned to Madrid ahead of the 2015-16 season to continue on loan to Sporting Portugal, but his career collapsed when his medical examination in Lisbon found an irregular heartbeat.
Not only is Silva's transfer, but his entire career has been shelved. When the abnormal heartbeat was clarified not to be a long-term problem, he resumed playing, but that gave Madrid more reasons not to give him a chance at the first team.
In January 2017, he returned to Cruzeiro on loan and remained there for two and a half years until both sides agreed to terminate their contract with Madrid. Then, as the Brazilian giants fell into financial crisis, he left as a free agent, while the club suffered their humiliating relegation a few months after Silva left, the first in their history.
Silva didn't make any serious mistakes during his time in Europe, and he found himself leaving almost no trace.
"I wish I had more opportunities in Madrid, but that's not possible. It was still a great experience. I learned a lot, and I only have one year left on my contract, and each of us thinks it's best to terminate the deal early," Silva told Tuttomercatoweb in September 2019.
'When I came to Europe, I was considered the best young midfielder in Brazil, so it was natural for me to hope for a good performance at Real Madrid, but I don't regret it and just want to think about the next chance.'
Instead, Silva enjoys his life in Gremio – photos on his social media show him beating drums that symbolize the club's blue and white colors, taking selfies with fans and celebrating with the trophy of the recently won local competition Campeonato Gaucho. Most recently, he made his 100th appearance for the club.
It may not be a career he should have, but if he can help Gremio return to Brazil's top flight and continue to play, then Silva can still be a legend for this club.
When you take everything into account, it's not a bad career at all, and it's probably the real survival of the vast majority of players, after all, there are only a few stars on the iceberg that are familiar to fans all over the world.