East Bengal FC have extended the contract of Brazilian striker Cleiton Silva by one year that will keep him at the club till the end of the 2023-24 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) campaign, the club announced on Thursday.

With 12 goals in 20 games, Silva led East Bengal FC's attack during the league stage the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022–23 season, becoming the leading goalscorer at the end of the league phase.

The 36-year-old, who signed for a one-year contract with the Red and Gold Brigade after leaving Bengaluru FC ahead of the Hero ISL 2022-23 season, also scored twice in the 2022 Durand Cup, with both his goals coming against Mumbai City FC.

Before moving to India, Silva played for Madureira Esporte Clube in Brazil, Delfines FC in Mexico, Shanghai Shenxin FC in China, Super Power Samut Prakan FC in Thailand, Muangthong United in Thailand, Chiangrai United FC in Thailand, and Suphanburi FC in Thailand.

Silva, the first foreigner to reach 100 goals in Thailand, has been among the Hero ISL's most prolific scorers during the past three Hero ISL seasons.

The Brazilian scored 16 goals for Bengaluru FC – seven during the 2020–21 Hero ISL season  and nine in the following season. Silva had his best Hero ISL campaign with the Red & Gold Brigade, becoming their leading goalscorer in Hero ISL history.

In the forthcoming Hero Super Cup and the next domestic season, his goal-scoring prowess and experience will be handy for East Bengal FC.

Sandeep Agarwal, Director of East Bengal FC said, "We are thrilled to have Cleiton Silva continue this journey with East Bengal FC. His contribution to the team's performance last season was invaluable, and we believe that he has more to offer. We are confident that his experience amd skills will help us achieve goals in the upcoming season. This is one of the first steps to many welcome improvements that we plan to make in the upcoming season."

The Brazilian also expressed his pleasure at staying with the Kolkata-based team.

Commenting on the occasion, Silva said, “I’m happy to be here for the next season. I believe in the project. Despite the problems, we‘ve had some good moments in the league. I think we can learn and grow together in the next season. Joy East Bengal!”

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East Bengal FC2022-2023 Cleiton Silva