Thiago Silva’s next appearance for Chelsea will be his 100th in blue so to mark the upcoming milestone for our brilliant Brazilian, we relive some of his best moments so far.
The defender could reach a century of games for the club in our next outing against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 27 December and he has certainly packed a lot into the past 99 matches, from trophy wins and special goals to iconic defensive interventions and countless records.
Here, we pick out six of Thiago Silva’s best to mark our number six’s special looming achievement…
First Chelsea goal
Thiago’s first goal in Chelsea colours came in a 4-1 home win over Sheffield United in November 2020 last season. The defender leaped the highest after a wicked Hakim Ziyech free-kick was whipped in for Thiago to glance the ball home to make it 3-1 to the Blues.
The Brazilian then wheeled away in celebration with Ben Chilwell, who was also on the scoresheet that day, and Ziyech - who also had a brilliant game against the Blades.
Goal-line clearances
We could not highlight Thiago’s best moments in Chelsea colours without mentioning some of his incredible goal-saving clearances. Perhaps most memorable of them came in our Champions League clash with Juventus at the Bridge.
With ex-Blues striker Alvaro Morata through on goal, the Spaniard dinked the ball over Edouard Mendy, only for Thiago to sprint back and hook the ball to safety, keeping it 1-0 to Chelsea. This goal would have brought Juve level, which in turn could have changed the whole dynamic of the tie if not for Thiago’s brilliance.
His exemplary reading of the game was also demonstrated away at West Ham when he cleared from under his own crossbar and against Southampton when he produced an instinctive flick to turn away Mohammed Salisu’s header.
Most recently, in a visit to Brighton, the veteran centre-half back-pedalled in the nick of time to head over Leandro Trossard’s effort before producing a carbon copy clearance moments later.
European and global triumphs
Thiago won his first-ever Champions League medal in his first campaign with the Blues. Despite reaching the final the year prior with Thomas Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain, the defender had never won it prior to our magical night in Porto.
The 37-year-old started the match against Manchester City but was substituted in the 39th minute after picking up an injury. After inevitable disappointment, Thiago then turned to be the 12th man on the bench as he provided all his experience and guidance to help the backline keep a vital clean sheet by shouting instructions from afar.
That triumph saw us participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in February 2022, beating Thiago’s compatriots Palmeiras 2-1 in the final thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz. Thiago Silva’s rock-solid performances at the back earned him the Golden Ball accolade, FIFA’s award for best player at the tournament.
Goal and performance against Spurs
Thiago’s outstanding performance at Tottenham in a 3-0 victory in September 2021 was topped off by a brilliant header to put us into the lead just minutes after the start of the second half.
It cemented his cult status among the Blues faithful as he rushed towards the away supporters in celebration and acknowledgement of a cherished win at the home of our big rivals.
FA Cup history
Having been named in the starting 11 for the 2022 FA Cup final against Liverpool, Thiago Silva achieved his own slice of history in the famous old competition, fittingly so in the FA Cup’s 150th campaign.
The Brazilian became the oldest outfielder at 37 years and 234 days to start an FA Cup final since Stanley Matthews in the 1953 final for Blackpool, aged 38. Alas, there was no maiden victory in the competition for the defender as the Blues were beaten in the penalty shoot-out.
UCL 100 club
Thiago Silva spent three years at the San Siro as an AC Milan player so it was appropriate that he reached a landmark 100th appearance in the Champions League there back in October, joining a select group of 47 individuals.
Others on the list include Frank Lampard (105), Ashley Cole (108), John Terry (109) and Petr Cech (111). Thiago will be hoping to move closer to those with a long run into the knockout stages in the new year.