Miguel DaSilva, a former forward for the Lipscomb Bisons soccer team received three offers to go overseas and play professionally. That is not the story though. The story is where DaSilva chose to go play.
DaSilva received offers from Finland, Portugal and his home country Angola.
That last offer made his decision a lot easier.
He signed with Santos FC of Angola in December and is expected to begin play with the club this month.
Miguel first arrived in the states in 2001, just a day before the attacks of 9/11. Since arriving that day, he has not returned back to what he used to call home.
“I always knew inside of me that I wanted to go back home once I graduated college,” said DaSilva, who earned his degree in international business last month.
“When the deal was offered to me back home, (you) couldn’t imagine how excited I was. My family is there, friends, people that I miss daily and I haven’t seen them for about 10 years. I think that’s the place God wanted me to go.”
Although he fought with injuries during his time at Lipscomb, DaSilva still posted 32 goals and 28 assists over four seasons. He tied for the team lead with eight goals last season, became the first Lipscomb player to earn all-region honors, and has prompted his coaches to call him the best player in Lipscomb’s history.
Now it’s time to return to where life began, time to reconnect with family he hasn’t seen in a decade.
“My mother never really saw me play when I grew up, so that’s one of the reasons I want to go back,” DaSilva said. “I knew I came here for a reason. I came here to get my degree, to be the best I can be and now to give back to the people in Angola.”