While the Blues continue to focus almost exclusively on signing young players, the 40-year-old is rolling back the years in the U.S.
Shortly after helping Fluminense reach the semi-finals of the Club World Cup final with another dominant display in defence, Thiago Silva's attention had already turned to a potential reunion with Chelsea. The Brazilian freely admitted that he'd be rooting for his former club in their last-eight encounter with Palmeiras. As the man himself said after leaving west London last summer, "Once a Blue, always a Blue."
As farewells go, Thiago Silva's Chelsea exit couldn't have been much fonder. He was just about to turn 36 when he arrived and has since admitted that he only expected to spend a single season at Stamford Bridge. So, for him to have made 155 appearances for the Blues surpassed all of his – and his employers' – expectations.
Consequently, he departed with the best wishes of the club, who were never going to stand in the way of a fantastic servant who wanted to re-join Fluminense on a free transfer. Chelsea had also already embarked on a radical rejuvenation of their squad, and retaining the services of a defender approaching his 40th birthday simply didn't fit with their business model.
And yet as one of the game’s great captains prepares to lead Fluminense into battle against the Blues in New Jersey on Tuesday, the suspicion remains that Thiago Silva is precisely the kind of player – and character – that Enzo Maresca's young and expensively-assembled squad still lacks ahead of the 2025-26 season…
Precarious nature of life
Thiago Silva has endured his fair share of suffering in football. As has been well-documented, he was laid low by a brutal bout of tuberculosis that didn't just halt a fledgling career, it very nearly claimed his life. The then-teenager only chose to continue after his mother pointed out that there weren't a lot of "good jobs" in his native Rio de Janeiro for a "boy from the economic reality we lived in".
However, it wasn't the difficulty involved in overcoming such a serious illness that Thiago Silva chose to draw upon when giving a team talk before Fluminense's Club World Cup quarter-final showdown with Al-Hilal. The veteran defender instead elected to discuss the pain of regret after being stunned by the death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota the day before.
Advertisement'Don't put it off, because there's no time'
"In 2014, I was playing the World Cup in Brazil," he began. "On one of our days off, I went home. My stepfather showed up… the man who made me who I am today. He was sick. I didn’t know how serious it was. I returned to the national team. Things ended how they ended. He was hospitalised. I had to go back to Paris for pre-season… After one of the first league matches, my wife called me: 'Your stepfather passed away.’
"I didn't go to see him in hospital because I thought he was going to come out. So, do you know what I'm trying to say with this? What do I mean? Don't hold back out there. Do it now, do what we can do, right now. Don't put it off, because there's no time, man.
"Enjoy the moment, enjoy it. Joyfully, but responsibly. That said, we need to finish with 11 men. Don't take this the wrong way. Be fair to the guys, but f*cking compete. You have to compete with these guys. All right? God bless us, man. Come on!"
'Big reference point in world football'
Unsurprisingly, Thiago Silva's impassioned plea to seize the day didn't fall on deaf ears. Having previously produced the performance of their lives to beat Champions League runners-up Inter to progress to the quarter-finals, they once again overwhelmed another opponent in Al-Hilal almost through sheer force of will.
"If you had asked me beforehand if we would have got this far, I would have said we were a long way away from doing so," Thiago Silva told after the 2-1 win over the Saudi Arabians. "We know the financial size of these teams, the difference is enormous, absurd. But often our collective, the family atmosphere that we have, gives us strength that you maybe don't think you have."
However, there have never been any concerns over his character – or quality. Thiago Silva will go down as one of the best and most revered defenders of the modern era, that ideal blend of technique and tenacity, a ball-playing centre-back who has never been afraid to put his head where most people wouldn't put a shovel – as illustrated by the blood-stained nose he was left with after the win over Al-Hilal.
No wonder, then, that when he speaks, players listen. As Fluminense winger Jhon Arias said, "Thiago is a big reference in world football. He has our complete admiration and respect. He's a wonderful person, magnificent." Which also makes him a coach's dream.
'Coach on the pitch'
It was Renato Gaucho who gave Thiago Silva his Brazil debut all the way back in 2008, so he was never going to pass up the opportunity to once again work with a player he believes is still good enough to represent Brazil at next year's World Cup. Furthermore, when the Fluminense coach says that Thiago Silva is "the coach on the pitch", he really means it.
During the shock win over Inter, the veteran defender took advantage of a cooling break to argue that Fluminense's hopes of holding onto their 1-0 lead would be best served by switching to a 5-4-1 formation. He also suggested moving Everaldo, a striker by trade, out wide, so that winger Arias could play through the middle.
Gaucho immediately agreed, and the changes worked a treat, which reflected well on both player and coach. As Thiago Silva told FIFA's official website, "I try to help in the best way possible, giving my advice. I think that's the best way I do things. But not all coaches have the humility to understand what the player feels.
"But Renato's humble side enables these things to happen. He's a very open guy, like an open book, you know? So, we have a great relationship. He's given me a lot of advice over the years, and since I came back to Fluminense. That, without doubt, improves you as a player."
