BrazilGilberto Valdenésio Fortunato (born 7 November 1987) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Singapore team Hougang United.
PKNP
On 14 January 2017, 29-year-old Gilberto went to Malaysia to sign a contract for the 2017 season with Malaysian team PKNP who plays in the second-tier Malaysia Premier League. He scored his first goals in form of a brace twelve days later in the 2–0 home win over Kuantan FA in his second appearance for the club.
Gilberto then played his first Piala FA match on 14 February in the round of 32 ties versus Kelantan; the regular and extra-time finished in a 1–1 draw with sent the match to a penalty shootout where Gilberto netted his team 4th attempt in an eventual 4–3 win. He returned to the score sheet in the championship on 7 April by netting a late winner at MISC-MIFA.
Gilberto made his first Malaysia Cup appearance on 4 July by starting in the opening match of Group A as PKNP won 2–1 at T–Team. His first goals of the competition came on 18 July in the 2–0 win versus Negeri Sembilan, netting both goals in the last minutes, including a penalty. It was Gilberto’s first goals after five matches which earned the praise of manager Abu Bakar Fadzim.
Gilberto reached double figures on 19 September by scoring a brace in the 3–1 win against Negeri Sembilan, becoming the second PKNP player to achieve the feat in the 2017 season after Shahrel Fikri. He finished his first season with 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals, including 9 in the championship as Perak finished 3rd to achieve promotion to top-flight for the first time. Gilberto left the club in December 2017 following the end of the season.
FELDA United
On 20 December 2017, Gilberto completed a transfer to Malaysian top flight Felda United for an undisclosed fee. The club however was relegated to second-tier for licence failure.
Gilberto was given squad number 10 and made his competitive debut on 2 February 2018 in the opening week of the 2018 Malaysia Premier League, a 1–2 away win over UKM. He scored his first career hat-trick four days later in the match against PDRM FA, leading the team in a 6–2 home win. The feat was followed by a brace in the next week in the 3–0 home win over Penang FA, which lifted the striker tally up to 5 goals in 3 matches, his best career start; this win also lifted Felda on top of the league.
Gilberto concluded the 2018 season by scoring 10 goals in 18 league appearances, a personal best, aiding Felda to win the championship and achieve promotion to top-flight next season. He scored a brace in the decisive match which decided the title, a 3–1 home win over Sarawak FA on 17 July. In Malaysia Cup, he scored four goals in seven appearances; Felda United was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Terengganu 6–4 on aggregate, with Gilberto scoring in both legs.
In January 2019, Gilberto, despite his impressive scoring record, left due to the club’s budget cut ahead of the new Malaysia Super League season.