Former Arsenal captain Gilberto Silva will lace up his boots this weekend at non-league club Lewes FC.
And the World Cup winner won’t be coming alone.
Legendary left-back Roberto Carlos will accompany Silva in a match to raise awareness for suicide prevention charity, CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).
The World Cup winning duo will be opposing captains during Sunday’s match at the Dripping Pan which will see fellow footballers, media personalities and YouTubers taking part.
Silva’s former Arsenal teammates Jens Lehmann and Jeremie Aliadiere have been confirmed for the match alongside ex-Aston Villa and Celtic star Stiliyan Petrov and Premier League title winning Leicester legend Danny Simpson.
Speaking ahead of the game, 48-year-old Gilberto told talkSPORT about the importance of raising awareness of the charity.
“I wanted to be involved in a project like CALM because it helps a lot of people and it’s important to give a voice to what they do because maybe some people need help and don’t know where to find it,” said the former Gunners midfielder.
“When we put effort into supporting a project like CALM we are giving people encouragement to seek help because it can be so difficult for many people.
“Normally men are like this. They don’t like to talk, it can be a big barrier for them.
“But it’s important that we help them by giving a voice to what CALM does. The work they do is brilliant.”
Asked whether football’s attitudes towards mental health have changed since his playing days, Silva admits that while there have been steps in the right direction, there is still more to be done.
“It’s slightly better but not as it should be,” he added.
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“I believe there’s a lot of gaps to grow this process. As I said, men don’t want to talk about sentiment sometimes and when they are facing family problems or problems with work or their personal life whereas women are more inclined to do so with their friends.
“As we’ve seen in the last couple of years, players are starting to open up a little more about anxiety and depression because of the pressure of the game or different situations.
“It’s important to talk. People look at players as superheroes.
“But sports people are human, they have feelings and sometimes they don’t have anybody to talk to and sometimes when they talk, people say ‘this guy is weak’.”
Silva, who spent six years at Arsenal from 2002-2008 admits he still has fire in his belly and hopes to get one over his compatriot on Sunday.
“Of course I want to win but not in a very competitive way, just in a fun way where we have fun playing football,” he said.
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“Myself and Roberto we live for that. Even though I’m not part of any football club, I still love the game.
“We want to provide a good day for the fans and they are part of this process of supporting a great project.”
