Thiago Silva is set to leave Chelsea at the end of the season and has been recollecting his time at the club. He sat down with the club’s official website today to discuss his top matches for the Blues.
The Brazilian went on to name six matches, five of which were wins, while the other was a draw. Here are the six games recalled by the legendary defender:
West Brom 3-3 Chelsea | Premier League | 26 September 2023
The game in which Thiago Silva made his debut for Chelsea. The Brazilian was also handed the captain’s armband by then-manager Frank Lampard, but it was not a good start.
The Blues were 1-0 down in the 4th minute with Callum Robinson scoring. He swiftly made it 2-0 in the 25th minute and things got worse as Kyle Bartley made it 3-0 two minutes later.
However, Chelsea managed to bounce back with three academy starts scoring in the second half. Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi scored in the 55th and 70th minute, respectively, before Tammy Abraham leveled it in injury time.
Thiago recalled the game and said:
“My first game for Chelsea. I remember well. The opportunity to wear the shirt was a big responsibility. I felt that. But in this game, I was also given the captain’s armband by [Frank] Lampard.”
Chelsea 2-1 Leicester City | Premier League | 18 May 2021
Chelsea needed a win against Leicester City to go above them in the table and managed to just that at Stamford Bridge. The stadium had just 8,000 home fans and Thiago Silva claims that the noise made by them felt like it was filled.
He said:
“Special day. Obviously, because of the pandemic, we had been playing without supporters in the stadium. I had felt the love of the Chelsea fans through social media but to have 8,000 in Stamford Bridge was different. The noise! I remember it felt like there were 45,000 fans in the stadium that night. I was touched by that – and it gave me a real feeling that we were getting back to normality. That we also won for those supporters meant it was a good day for us.”
Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea | Champions League final | 29 May, 2021
The night all Chelsea fans will never forget, and Thiago Silva is one of them. The Brazilian finally fulfilled his life-long dream of winning the UEFA Champions League, just a year after losing in the final with PSG.
Kai Havertz scored the lone goal of the match as Chelsea defeated heavy favorites Manchester City in the final. Thiago recalled the match and said:
“The year before, when I was with Paris, I lost the final. Then I changed clubs and in my first season achieved this dream. You think, ‘How can it happen in this way?!’ Only God has the answers and knows the moments. Of course, it was not the game I expected as I got injured in the first half. We all have an ego and we all want to play in these games – a Champions League final! – but my ego in relation to what my teammates and the club needed wasn’t important at that moment.”
Tottenham 0-3 Chelsea | Premier League | 19 September, 2021
Winning matches is always agoing to bring a smile to the faces of the fans, but when it is against derby rivals, the smile gets bigger as the bragging rights come along with it.
Chelsea dominated Tottenham away from home and managed to ease to a 3-0 win over Spurs.
Thiago Silva was on the scoresheet and he said:
“A brilliant performance away at our biggest rivals. Something like that isn’t simple to do and it always means a good feeling for the players and the fans. We played well, the performance was convincing. We had a clean sheet and I scored our first goal. I think everything that could have gone well for us in this game happened.”
AC Milan 0-2 Chelsea | Champions League | 11 October 2022
Playing against former clubs is always emotional for players, especially if they left on good terms. Thiago Silva returned to face AC Milan for the first time since leaving San Siro 10 years after joining PSG.
The stadium was chanting his name, and to make things better for Silva, Chelsea eased to a 2-0 win. They dominated the game, scored two goals in the first half, and restricted AC Milan to just one shot on target.
Chelsea 2-1 Palmeiras | Club World Cup final | 12 February, 2022
Winning trophies is always a big aim for footballers, but it is on another level for South Americans. The FIFA Club World Cup is not a big trophy for European clubs, but Chelsea were determined to win it for the first time in their history.
Thomas Tuchel and co managed to do just that and it was the last trophy under Roman Abramovich before he was sanctioned by the UK Government.
Thiago recalled the final and said:
“I know some people say that clubs in Europe at not as focused on this competition, that it is just another competition to win. So I wanted to make sure the team was motivated to win this trophy. The final was not easy – and I remember we did the warm-up in front of the Palmeiras fans! But we made sure that we won the game and I was very proud to be named the player of the match in the final and the player of the tournament. It is one of the most important trophies of my career and the first one for Chelsea.”
Thiago Silva will play his final match for Chelsea on Sunday at home to Bournemouth. He has announced his decision to join Fluminense this summer.
Also Read:
- Fluminense President Mario Bittencourt lauds Chelsea after Thiago Silva transfer
- Thiago Silva’s son wins Premier League U15 Supercup with Chelsea
- WATCH: Thiago Silva In Tears At Last Chelsea Award Ceremony
- All you need to know about Thiago Silva’s transfer to Fluminense
- Thiago Silva Announces Departure from Chelsea, Expresses Desire for Future Return