Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has revealed that he wants to play on until he's 40 after talking with AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Silva has been a huge hit at Stamford Bridge since joining the club from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and has played every minute for the Blues in the Premier League so far this season.
The Brazilian veteran may have turned 38 last week, but he has no intention of winding his illustrious career down. And Silva is hopeful that his impressive form will be enough to land him another contract extension at Chelsea as he bids to play on into his forties' - just like Ibrahimovic, who turns 41 next month and helped fire AC Milan to the Serie A title last year.
Silva told Chelsea's official website : "I talk often with Zlatan and recently more often because Chelsea will play against AC Milan in the Champions league.
"My aim is to play until I'm 40 years old but I don’t know if it will be this level or this competition. It depends on this season and we’ll see what will happen in the World Cup. It also depends on a contract extension but yeah, my aim is to play until I’m 40.
"It’s very important for me that I can play on this level at this age but it’s not easy, especially in the Premier League. When I finish training, I come back home and think about how I can repair myself for tomorrow. The intensity is high from the first minute to the last one so you have to be ready all the time.
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"I might be 38 years old but I think I can help this team as much as possible."
Silva is currently away on international duty with Brazil and made history over the weekend when he became the national side's most capped defender ever after winning his 108th cap in the 3-0 win over Ghana.
And the centre-half will be hoping to claim another first at the World Cup in Qatar later this year as he bids to clinch the one trophy that has eluded him throughout his career.
Silva's impressive domestic form has kept him in Brazil's World Cup plans even though Chelsea have struggled. The Blues have dropped points in three of their six Premier League outings so far this term and also have it all to do in the Champions League after winning just one point from a possible six in Group E.
The Blues will be hoping they fare better under new head coach Graham Potter after the international break following Thomas Tuchel's shock departure earlier this month.
