Center back Thiago Silva has been one of the greats in his long and productive career, no matter where it has taken him, and now we will have the chance to witness that first hand.
The 35-year-old veteran has joined Chelsea as a free agent today, signing a one-year contract with an option for an extra year. Silva let his contract with PSG expire last weekend.
The Rio de Janeiro-born defender had to overcome several obstacles early in his career, including a tuberculosis attack that left him bedridden for six months at the age of 21 while he was on loan at FC Porto’s Dynamo Moscow. After almost retiring, he returned to Brazil to become a (re) member of Fluminense, where we gave him the nickname “O Monstro” (“The Monster”) – what was “monstrous” about him was his ability to pitch. mastered from the center of the box, hitting opponents in the air and on the ground as he set up the attack from his own penalty kick.
That kind of praise followed him to Italy, when he joined AC Milan in January 2009 and won the Serie A the following season. And then to Paris three and a half years later, where they would dominate domestically. Unfortunately, big trophies on the international stage have so far disqualified him, including in last Sunday’s Champions League final. He has 97 caps for the Brazilian national team, including the 8 of two Olympic Games, 2008 and 2012, but only one title Copa América (2019) to look forward to.
Thiago could be a stopgap for Chelsea, a way to temporarily tackle our problems in defense before dealing with them better a year from now. Still, despite his age and the weariness of nearly 750 senior professional games, he remains one of the best defenders the world has ever seen.
And so, it’s with great pleasure that I can say, welcome, Thiago Silva! Let’s win some things!
