The defender’s Chelsea story will definitely continue into 2023/24, but there will be no Champions League football at the Bridge for him to enjoy because of our exit to Real Madrid last night, coupled with our midtable league standing.

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That added to his sense of regret after the European champions left west London with a 2-0 win on the night and a 4-0 aggregate victory, despite the feeling things could have gone very differently if we had been more clinical in the final third.

‘It’s a bit of frustration, a bit of disappointment, a bit of anger,’ said Thiago.

‘It’s possibly my last match in the Champions League, and it’s sad to finish like that. The frustration is there, above all with how the game went.

‘The match over there was very difficult. Here the first half we played very well, controlled the match, and stopped goalscoring opportunities. After that, if you don’t score against a team like Real Madrid, that’s what happens. That’s the level.

‘I don’t know how many matches we have failed to score, but the most difficult thing to do is create goalscoring opportunities,’ added Thiago.

‘Then not putting it in the net, I don’t understand exactly why. But we shouldn’t just blame the attackers, because the defenders have had chances too. At the end of the first half, Cucurella had one, if he scores the match is a different one in the second half. But that’s football.’

With our hopes of winning a third Champions League now over, the Blues are realistically playing for pride in the coming weeks, while also trying to forge on-pitch relationships that can serve us well leading into next season. Thiago’s message is clear on what he wants to see is clear.

‘We have seven matches left, and we need to look for the victory in each of them,’ he stressed.

‘When we wear the Chelsea shirt we have to give everything to win. It’s difficult but we must continue, raise our heads and keep working.’