As the latest player to sit down for an exclusive chat as part of the In My Own Words series, Thiago Silva revealed it is the great backing he receives from the Chelsea supporters which motivates him to perform at the highest level, as well as explaining why winning the Champions League in Portugal made it an especially emotional occasion for him.
The Brazilian discussed a range of subjects in the exclusive interview, which you can watch in full below, including the excellent relationship he struck up with the Blues fans right from the moment he joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain at the start of last season.
He admitted it came as a surprise to be accepted so quickly at his new club, while the sound of the supporters singing his name is the best motivation he could ask for, believing he owes them a responsibility to repay their faith.
‘I didn’t expect to have so much recognition in such a short time and now I’m being cheered that way, so it’s certainly a source of great pride and I feel very proud to be part of this club,’ he said.
‘The chant gets stuck in my head. When I enter the stadium some of them start singing and then it spreads to the other side. It really motivates me a lot but at the same time it gives me a big responsibility because I know they count on me to be at a high level so that I don’t concede goals.
‘I think that somehow the singing gives me a special motivation so that I can in some way shield our goal, together with the other players, obviously, so that we leave without conceding a goal and with the win.’
Thiago Silva also recalled our glorious Champions League triumph in Porto last May, when we lifted Europe’s most prestigious club trophy for the second time.
While it was obviously a moment of great pride for all those involved, he explained it held special significance for him, having lost the previous year’s final with PSG in the same country, as well as our victory coming in the city where the defender struggled with a serious illness which threatened his career and his health at the age of 21.
‘It was difficult, it was hard because a year earlier I had lost the final against Bayern in Lisbon,’ he added.
‘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.’