Thiago Silva Biography
Thiago Emiliano da Silva is a Brazilian footballer who was born on the 22nd of September, 1984 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
He plays as a central defender for the French League 1 side Paris Saint Germain and the Brazilian Men’s National football team.
He also serves as captain for both the above teams.
Background
Silva’s football career started at Fluminense, where he started turning heads ever since he was 14 years old. Silva played for lower tier football clubs in Brazil like Juventude and RS Futebole Clube. He even rejected an offer from the Italian giants Roma.
Silva’s performances and Juventude by the time he turned 20 had become nothing short of spectacular and his spell ended with him being signed to the Portuguese giants Porto for a fee of around $3 million.
Debut
Silva was called up to the Brazil preliminary squad for the 2007 Copa América when he was 23 years old. However, he was not a part of the final team that won the tournament. He was then selected for a match against Algeria where he did not leave the bench.
Silva won his first two caps for Brazil in pre-2008 Beijing Olympic friendlies against Singapore and Vietnam. Not starting in any matches, he came on in the 71st minute against Belgium in the third-place match, which sealed the bronze medal for Brazil.
Rise to Glory
Silva moved to Milan for a €10 million fee, on a four-year contract. There he received training from legendary players and managers like Ancelotti and Maldini. His performances drew praise from the management and the board.
Silva was rated as the third-best central defender in the Serie A in his very first season for Milan. His next season for the Italian giants was even better, as he was voted the best central defender by the fans and the professionals alike.
Low Points
Very early in his career, Silva was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and was hospitalized for six months. His condition was very serious and he reached a point where he could be dead, if not for proper medical care. He even made a temporary decision to quit professional football.
He has been injured, on an average more than once every season. Despite him not getting booked a lot, his injuries, mostly concentrated to his calf and ankles caused him to miss many games.
Club Career
Silva had a very fruitful spell at Milan. The saga of his transfer to the French giants Paris Saint Germain took over a month to complete. The transfer fee was rumored to be around €42 million which makes Silva the most expensive defender.
In his very first season he was nominated to become the League 1 player of the season alongside legends like Ibrahimović. He earned a reputation of being a very disciplined defender, with only 14 fouls in his first season.
