Thiago Silva has revealed that he found out about his transfer to Chelsea during a “moment of sadness” that had been one of the low points of his career.
The Brazilian central defender joined the Blues in the summer of 2020 as a free agent, initially on a one-year contract – which was then extended the following year. However, the veteran has now explained that he found out about the move in the immediate aftermath of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final defeat against Bayern Munich.
Of course, the 37-year-old played a key role as the Blues memorably won the Champions League crown in his first season at the club. It was the first time that Silva had lifted the trophy in a glittering career which had encompassed plenty of domestic success but none on the European stage across his eight years in Paris.
Speaking to Chelsea TV, the Brazilian said: “The moment I got the news, I was on the PSG team bus heading back to Paris after the Champions League final, where we were defeated. In that moment of sadness, there was a great moment of joy.” Silva went on to talk about the captaincy at the club, and how the became so prominent in the Stamford Bridge dressing room so swiftly.
“It really made me proud, knowing that I have this profile that people, in some way, see me as a leader. Chelsea has had many important captains – John Terry, Lampard; now Azpi. For me, it was a source of great pride.
"The only thing I was worried about was coming to the club and having a problem with Azpi and Jorginho like – ‘he’s just here and he’s taking my armband’. It’s not like that – I had a conversation with them, clarified a few things that I was coming here just to add to the team and that was just Lampard wanting me to play that role at that moment and it was nothing more than that.”
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Even though Chelsea’s Champions League title was special for everyone involved with the club, it had particular resonance for the defender – and not just because he had lost the previous final with PSG against Bayern Munich. The Blues lifted the title in Porto, which was the same city where the defender struggled with a serious illness which threatened his career and his health at the age of 21.
He added: “It was difficult, it was hard because a year earlier I had lost the final against Bayern in Lisbon. After some time I was back again to the final where I had some of the worst news of my life, which was tuberculosis, since I was in Porto.
"I didn’t play for some time. I think that only those who have lifted that trophy know how it feels. Going back to a Champions League final and winning that long-awaited title where I spent one of the worst moments of my life, it certainly made me emotional.”
