Elber hungry for more

By Alois Urban

There is not much the FC Bayern München striker Giovane Elber has yet to achieve in his outstanding career.

Goal threat 
Since arriving in Germany in 1994/95, and having scored 130 goals in 256 Bundesliga appearances for VfB Stuttgart and Bayern, the Brazilian has proved himself a consistent and clinical goal threat. And now Elber, who celebrated his 30th birthday last July, is nearing the end of his best season yet.

Prize wanted
With two league games to go, he is neck and neck with VfL Bochum 1848 forward Thomas Christansen in the race for the coveted top scorers' prize in the Bundesliga. Elber, who has found the net 19 times, is determined to take the crown. "No foreign player in Germany has scored more than I have," he said. "I want the scorers' title. If I could achieve this, it would be great."

Elder statesman
There is more to Elber than just goals though and the player is considered one of Bayern's elder statesman. Indeed, at the start of the campaign, with the club determined to reclaim their status as Germany's best team, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld named Elber vice-captain behind Oliver Kahn. "Giovane has character and is an absolute leader who can take even more responsibility," Hitzfeld said.

'Never content'
While some may have criticised Elber for his mutterings about the club's transfer policy following their shock exit from the UEFA Champions League, it at least underlined his commitment to the cause. "I am never content," Elber said. He proved as much by his actions - shooting Bayern to another title, which they secured on 26 April when he scored in a 2-0 victory against VfL Wolfsburg.

Several honours
After the early-season tribulations, winning the championship was particularly sweet but it was certainly not his first taste of success in Munich. The finest hour came in 2000/01 when Bayern landed the UEFA Champions League. "Signing a contract with Bayern was the best decision of my life," Elber said.

Cultures mixed
His strengths are best seen in one-on-one situations but he is also highly regarded for his technique, his teamwork and above all his intelligence. He has successfully blended Brazilian brilliance with German grit. "First of all you have to win the game," Elber said. "Then you can open the box of tricks and do some magic."

Brazilian caps
It was the move to Bayern that prompted a call-up by Brazil in 1998. However, Elber struggled to gain a permanent place and said he was retiring from international football after being left out of the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Despite his liking for Munich, his love of home is unquestioned, with the player earning a €25,000 fine for lingering too long on a trip to Brazil last summer and missing the start of pre-season training.

Moving on
Elber is planning to leave Germany permanently next year. "2004 will be the end of my time at Bayern and I am not going to move to another German club," he said. Spain or Portugal could be the next port of call, though for the moment he is concentrating on the task at hand.

Fitting reward
With a return to former club Stuttgart on Saturday, and then a last-day visit by FC Schalke 04, Elber has every chance of achieving his aim of being the Bundesliga's top marksman. It would be just reward for a great striker but, with another Champions League campaign on the horizon, it may not be the last word.