Thiago Silva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 6/2014
Personal information
Full name:
Thiago Emiliano da Silva
Date of birth:
22 September 1984
Place of birth:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height:
182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position:
Centre back
Club information
Current club:
Paris Saint-Germain
Number:
3
Youth career
Fluminense:
1998
Barcelona-RJ:
2000-2001
Fluminense:
2001-2002
Senior career*
RS Futebol:
2002-2003
25x apps / 2x goals
Juventude:
2003-2004
27x apps / 3x goals
Porto:
2004-2005
0x apps / 0x goals
Dynamo Moscow:
2005-2006
0x apps / 0x goals
Fluminense:
2006-2008
81x apps / 6x goals
Milan:
2009-2012
93x apps / 5x goals
Paris Saint-Germain:
2012-
50x apps / 3x goals
National team
Brazil Olympic:
2008-2012
8x apps / 0x goals
Brazil:
2008-
48x apps / 2x goals
* (appearances, national team caps and goals correct as of 17 June 2014
Thiago Emiliano da Silva, born 22 September 1984, commonly known as Thiago Silva, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a central defender for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazilian national team.
He is also the captain of both his club and country's national team.
Club career
As a youngster, Thiago Silva was admitted into a school in the Campo Grande neighbourhood 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.
Fluminense
Silva returned to football with the help of his former coach, Ivo Wortmann. In 2006, Wortmann was signed as a coach by Fluminense; Wortmann requested to bring Silva with him, in spite of Silva's health issues.
On January 14, Fluminense announced the signing of Silva from Porto.
It is during this time where Silva developed the nickname of O Monstro — Portuguese for The Monster.
2007 was a much better year for Flu, and for Silva. Fluminense finished 4th place in the 2007 Brasileirão, conceding only 39 goals in 38 matches, enough for the second-best defence in Brazil.
More importantly, Fluminense managed a historic victory in the 2007 Copa do Brasil, winning the prestigious trophy for the first time. Silva played a decisive part in the victory; he started in every match, and scored the opening goal in the quarter-final, as well as the equalising goal in the semi-final.
Silva's form through the season led him to be selected into Dunga's preliminary squad for the 2007 Copa América. After winning the Copa do Brasil, Silva was recognised by fans as the best defender in Brazil.
At the end of the season, Silva was one of three nominees for "best central defender", alongside Breno and Fábio Luciano.
The voting results were unveiled on the 4th of December, and Silva was selected as the second-best central defender for the 2007 Brasileirão.
2008 was a bad year for Flu, but Silva's best on an individual level. Having devoted much of their efforts towards the 2008 Copa Libertadores, Fluminense's league form suffered, finishing in 14th place.
On January 18, Silva was rewarded by the Fluminense's board for his 100th match in the tricolor. He was awarded a shirt with the number "100" and a plaque in honour of his achievements.
Silva became an idol for young Fluminense supporters with his level of performances — the white wristband that Silva would wear during matches became a trend amongst teenagers in Rio who supported the tricolor.
Silva's form for Fluminense earned him a call-up to the Seleção, to take part in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Silva was linked with many clubs in 2008, including the likes of Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Villarreal; however, he decided to join the Brazilian contingent already at AC Milan.
The transfer was confirmed on December 12.
In his final match for Fluminense, Silva was cheered by 50,000 supporters who were witnessing his last performance at the Maracanã.
Milan
In December 2008, Thiago Silva joined A.C. Milan under a €10 million agreement.
Silva was officially registered as a Milan player effectively from July 2009, since the club had already signed two non-EU nationals during the 2008-09 season (namely, Andriy Shevchenko and Tabaré Viudez).
Five years on, Silva says manager Carlo Ancelotti changed his life by playing in European football.
He made his non-competitive debut in a Rossoneri jersey in a friendly match against Hannover on 21 January 2009. He played all 90 minutes of the match.
He made his league debut in a 2:1 win over Siena.
On 8 November 2009, he scored his first goal against Lazio, as well as an own goal. In Milan's season opener against Lecce, he scored the fifth goal in their 4:0 win.
Milan went on to win their first Serie A title in seven years, with Thiago Silva playing a key role.
Thiago Silva played 39 games for Milan that season, picking up only a single yellow card in the process.
On 13 September 2011, he scored a last minute goal against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou from a Clarence Seedorf corner.
That goal saved Milan from a defeat with the score ending at 2:2. This was his first goal in a European competition.
On 27 November 2011, Thiago Silva was named as captain and scored the opening goal in a convincing 4:0 victory against Chievo.
During the summer transfer window of 2012, Silva was strongly linked to French side and big spenders Paris Saint-Germain.
Milan's response came from CEO Silvio Berlusconi as he announced the club had to decline an offer of 46 million Euros. On 2 July, Silva signed a new contract with Milan, keeping him at the club until 2017.
Paris Saint-Germain
On 14 July 2012, it was announced that Silva had signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, completing a €42 million transfer to the French club.
It was reported that his wages are in excess of €185,000 per week, around €12 million a year.
He stated that his reasons for leaving the club was due to family reasons and that he is seeking a new challenge and the prospect of new trophies.
Despite the statement, Silva has on numerous occasions stated that he had never intended to leave A.C. Milan and completed the move due to Milan's financial difficulties, saying:
"I am very sad to leave Milan, I was treated with great respect, by the players, the manager and the fans, but I am ready for a new challenge with PSG," also mentioning that, "It was an offer I couldn't refuse."
After suffering from some niggling injuries at the start of the campaign, Silva finally made his debut for his new team on 18 September in the first matchday of the Champions League, marking his debut with a goal as PSG thumped Dynamo Kyiv 4:1 at the Parc des Princes.
The Brazilian made his Ligue 1 debut the following weekend, playing the full ninety minutes in a comfortable 4:0 defeat of Bastia on 22 September.
Silva's second goal for PSG came from the penalty spot, scoring the winning goal in his first Le Classique match, the game ending in a 2:0 defeat of Marseille in the Round of 16 in the Coupe de la Ligue on 31 October.
On 22 August 2013, it was announced that Silva had signed a one-year extension to his contract with PSG, keeping him at the club until 2018.
International career
Silva was selected by Dunga to play for Brazil in the 2008 Olympics. He was one of two players over 23 years of age (the other one being Ronaldinho) and played in three matches.
Before the Olympics started, he earned his only two caps in friendlies against Singapore and Vietnam. Silva was selected to play for Brazil in an International Friendly against Italy at Emirates Stadium on 10 February 2009. He came on in the 77th minute to replace Juan.
He later went on to play for Brazil against England in a friendly match in Qatar on 9 October. He was included by Dunga for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad due to his top form with Milan, but didn't feature in any matches.
Silva was selected as first choice defender, under new Brazil coach Mano Menezes, for a friendly against United States on 10 August 2010.
On 30 May 2012, he scored his first goal for Brazil with a header from a corner kick by Neymar against the United States. When fit, Silva now acts as the team's captain.
Style of play
Thiago Silva has been recognized 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 Thiago Silva is the defender who most resembles him, and said in June 2012 that Thiago Silva was his "heir".
His leadership skills are also apparent through his success in captaining the Brazilian national team and Paris Saint Germain.
Silva is heralded as one of the fastest defenders in European football, and has been described as a strong a defender with good aerial ability.
He combines these physical gifts with a phenomenal tactical intelligence and knowledge of the game, as well as an excellent positional sense.
Thanks to his abilities, he excels at reading and anticipating plays, and is excellent at closing down opposing players in possession of the ball.
Hailed as the best of the new breed of defenders— composed in possession, able to create chances for his team from the back.
Silva is a defender who is universally praised, being voted as one of the top two central defenders in Europe for three consecutive years.