WHEN you've won the Premier League as an Invincible, you don't make a mountain out of an ant hill.

But Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva has revealed his "pride" at a zoo naming an anteater after him for his part in the Gunners' historic 2003-4 achievement.

The furry mammals might seem to have more in common with the the current Gunners – as they are toothless.

But Brazilian World Cup winner Gilberto insists the wacky tribute is up there with all his other honours.

The 93-cap midfielder told FourFourTwo magazine: "That was a weird moment that makes me very proud.

"Someone at Arsenal told me the zoo had decided to name the anteater Gilberto, so I went there to meet it and take some pictures.

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"I don't even know if it's still alive. But it was a nice – and weird – moment."

Colchester Zoo confirmed to SunSport that the four-legged version of Gilberto, now 16, is very much alive and thriving after being given to them by London Zoo 14 years ago.

Emma Rasey, from Colchester Zoo's Animal Care team, said: "He is a friendly and handsome anteater who enjoys any enrichment his keepers give him.

"He also loves bugs and yogurt but nothing beats avocado!

"He loves his sleep but doesn’t like the cold and in the summer he likes sleeping outside. He also enjoys a bath!"

The other Gilberto's glorious, glamorous career included lifting the ultimate prize with Brazil in 2002, plus one-time Prem glory and two FA Cup triumphs with the Gunners.

But although he had no paws in his Arsenal contract, the 43-year-old's attainments hit a hairy high when he got a nosy namesake.

Much like combative Gilberto, anteaters are known for their fierce foraging, albeit for termites rather than footballs.

And they also avoid attention, which Gilberto (the footballer) often did at Arsenal.

Admittedly, though, that was mainly because his contemporaries included more eye-catching greats like Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.

And as with Gilberto, anteaters never quite conquered Europe, as they mainly live in Central and South America.

Ex-Panathinaikos star Gilberto, who played alongside Arsenal's caretaker boss Freddie Ljungberg, rates failing to win the Champions League as possibly his biggest frustration in football.

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He told FourFourTwo: "It was disappointing that we didn't do better in Europe. We had a team good enough to challenge.

"I still feel a little bit sad talking about the Champions League, because we were so close to winning it in 2006 and ended up losing to Barcelona in the dying minutes."

But after all he did win, it seems unfortunate that Arsenal's Euro woe still leaves Gilberto with ants in his pants.

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