Farioli on Thiago Silva: “Legends don’t teach this in motivational videos” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli has never hidden his admiration for Thiago Silva and, following a question from a student at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto, a Fluminense supporter, about the importance of having such an experienced player in the squad, the Italian coach recalled the role models he had at Nice and Ajax.

“At my last clubs I worked with players like Thiago Silva, Jordan Henderson and Dante. All of them, even at 40, share the same curiosity and desire to learn. Players with that kind of experience help calm the team in emotional or chaotic environments. If you watch Thiago Silva play, he may no longer be the fastest, but he sees the game three or four seconds ahead. He is in the right place, with the right word. I gave him the floor before an important match, he wasn’t going to play, and we all got goosebumps because of the profound way he spoke about his passion for the game. What these legends bring to a team, when they put themselves at the service of the collective, is something that cannot be taught in motivational videos. It is the presence of a top professional,” he stressed.

As for the Brazilian centre-back’s departure, the Italian coach offered no comment, not least because Francesco Farioli chose not to speak to journalists and even jokingly warned the FLUP students when the floor was opened for questions: “About the transfer market, no…”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.