Thiago Silva

Early career

When he was younger, Silva was admitted into a school in the Campo Grande neighborhood of Rio – coincidentally a feeder school for Fluminense. At the age of 14, Silva impressed Fluminense coach Maurinho during a friendly in Xerém. He was given a short trial, where he was given the role of a defensive midfielder. Silva's playing opportunities were few, prompting him to trial for other clubs. In 1999, at the age of 15, Silva auditioned at Madureira, Olaria, and Flamengo; he was rejected at each club, the trial at Flamengo being the most difficult for him as he was not even observed by coaches. After another unsuccessful trial at Botafogo, Silva was taken on by his hometown side Barcelona, a small Brazilian club in the lower divisions. The following year, Silva played at a showcase tournament in São Paulo in the hope of attracting the attention of bigger clubs. It is there where he was spotted by Paulo César Carpegiani, who invited him to join RS Futebol in the south of Brazil. Joining the club in the end of 2001, Silva became a professional in 2002 and competed in the third division of the Campeonato Gaúcho, finishing second and achieving promotion to the state's second division. In a tournament played in Ancona, Italy, Silva was spotted by Bruno Conti, a coach with Roma. Conti wanted him to play for Roma, but Silva did not accept the offer. Strong performances in his last season as a defensive midfielder led to Silva's move to Juventude. Silva moved to…

Early career and 2008 Olympics

After a strong season with Fluminense, Silva was called up to the Brazil preliminary squad for the 2007 Copa América, though he was not a part of the main team which ultimately won the tournament. Silva was then called up for a friendly against Algeria on 15 August, failing to leave the bench, as Brazil won 2–0. Silva was then selected by Dunga to play in the 2008 Summer Olympics, one of two overage players, alongside Ronaldinho. Silva won his first two caps for Brazil in pre-Olympic friendlies against Singapore and Vietnam, though he suffered a right calf injury against Vietnam that kept him out of Brazil's first Olympic match. He was finally pronounced fit for the third group match, where Silva started and Brazil won 3–0 against China. He did not start any other matches, only coming on in the 71st minute against Belgium in the third-place match, which sealed the bronze medal for Brazil. Silva's next cap came in an international friendly against Portugal on 20 November 2008; Brazil won by a convincing 6–2 scoreline, and Silva was praised for having "dominated" the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. Silva was praised by his teammates for his performance. He was not a starter during the 2010 World Cup qualifications for Brazil, despite his high level of club performances for Milan. He was still playing in friendly matches, and in a November 2009 friendly against England, Silva put in a man of the match display in…

Silva has been recognised as a complete defender by his peers and critics. He has been described as a consistent defender, without any flaws, and someone who can lead any defence. A leader from the back, Silva's play has led him to be compared to legendary Italian defender Franco Baresi. Baresi, regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history, has gone on record to state that Silva is the defender who most resembles him, and said in June 2012 that Silva was his "heir". Although he has been criticised at times in the media over his mentality, his leadership skills are also apparent through his success in captaining both Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain. Silva is noted for his pace, strength, and aerial ability. He combines his physical attributes with positional awareness and tactical discipline, making him effective in one-on-one defending, anticipating plays, and regaining possession. Known for his technical skill and composure on the ball, he is capable of creating chances in attack from the back with his passing. During his prime, Silva was widely regarded as one of the top central defenders in world football. He was voted among the top two central defenders in Europe for three consecutive years, and both Rio Ferdinand and Ronaldo described him as the best defender in the world in 2014. While predominantly a centre-back, he has occasionally played as a central or defensive midfielder. Although his career has been impacted by injuries throughout, he has…

Silva and his wife Isabele have two sons, Isago and Iago, who are part of the Chelsea F.C. Development Squad and Academy. Iago is also a youth international for England. Silva is a Christian. On 15 March 2019 after playing almost seven years in France with Paris Saint-Germain, Thiago announced that he, his wife and children had also become French citizens. Thiago speaks Italian, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Produced by Fulwell 73, FIFA released Captains in 2022, an eight-part sports docuseries following six national team captains in their respective 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. Silva, representing Brazil, starred alongside Luka Modrić (Croatia), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Andre Blake (Jamaica), Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon) and Brian Kaltak (Vanuatu). It was released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+.