Flavio Silva is expected to be the solution for Persebaya Surabaya’s frontline. However, there is a concern that his promise might be overshadowed by the ‘curse’ that seems to haunt foreign strikers who once played for Persik Kediri.
Last season, Flavio Silva netted 23 goals and provided three assists in 29 appearances. His impressive goal tally placed him second on the top scorers’ list, just seven goals behind David da Silva of Persib.
Despite this, there are doubts about whether the former Portugal U-19 national team player can maintain his stellar performance at Persebaya. Many fear that he might experience a dip in form. There is a long-standing myth that strikers who move from Persik Kediri often see their performances decline.
This phenomenon has been experienced by several former Persik strikers who initially shone but saw their form wane after leaving the club. Here are some notable examples:

One prominent case is Bamidele Frank Bob Manuel. He enjoyed championship glory with Persik in the 2003 Divisi Utama, then the highest tier in Indonesian football. Alongside his partner Musikan, the Nigerian forward formed a lethal duo feared by many opponents.
At that time, Bobby—as he was commonly known—scored 29 goals, just two goals shy of PSM’s star, Oscar Aravena, who claimed the top scorer title.
However, in the 2005 season, Persik decided to part ways with Bobby, reportedly due to a knee injury. He then moved to Pelita Krakatau Steel.
At Pelita Krakatau Steel, a club formed by the merger of Pelita Jaya and Krakatau Steel, Bobby’s performance diminished significantly. As a result, during the second half of that season, he returned to East Java to play for Persebaya. Unfortunately, Bobby couldn’t replicate his sharpness from his Persik days.

Another example is Gonzales, who won the top scorer title four times in 2005, 2006, 2007-08, and 2008-2009. Over his 19-year career in various Indonesian clubs, Gonzales scored a total of 495 goals in 347 appearances across all competitions.
The peak of Gonzales’s career, known as El Loco, came during his time at Persik from 2005 to 2007. In 95 appearances, he netted 102 goals. However, his form started to decline when he moved to Persib in the second half of the 2009 season on loan.
Initially, Gonzales performed well for Persib, scoring 14 goals in 16 appearances during the half-season.
After his loan spell and contract with Persik Kediri ended, Gonzales was signed permanently by Persib. Unfortunately, over the next two seasons, his performance dropped drastically. In the 2009-2010 season, he played 31 times but only scored 18 goals. In the 2010-2011 season, he managed just nine goals from 25 matches.
These stories serve as a reminder that even though a striker may excel at Persik, there is no guarantee that their performance will continue at a new club. Flavio Silva now finds himself in a similar position, and only time will tell if he can break this ‘curse’ or not. For Persebaya supporters, there remains a strong hope that Flavio will be the exception and continue his goal-scoring prowess.
Pingback: Profile: Slavko Damjanovic, Persebaya’s New Defender