Timeless Thiago Silva leads Fluminense fairytale | OneFootball

Some sectors of European football have cast criticism in the direction of the FIFA Club World Cup. It’s expansion has rightfully resurfaced challenges to a bursting football calendar. Europe’s elite may view the tournament down the list of priorities, but for Fluminense it has turned into a summer to remember.

The Brazilian side are into the semi-finals, flying the flag for South America in the final four. After earning entry into the competition with a maiden Copa Libertadores triumph in 2023, Fluminense now have their sights on conquering the world stage.

Having upset the odds to reach this stage, Chelsea are next in their path. It is a tie that holds no fear for the Tricolor.

Leading the charge is a man familiar to their West London opponents. Thiago Silva turns 41 this autumn, but the veteran continues to shine with evergreen class.

Since returning to his native Brazil in 2024, Silva has slotted into a leadership role in Renato Gaúcho’s side. This summer, just six players have made more interceptions than Silva. It’s been the trademark of his career: right place, right time.

Fluminense headed to the United States with tempered expectations. A 13th-place finish in the 2024 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was a sharp grounding from their continental triumph a year earlier. Even with a modest group draw, progress to the knockout rounds was considered a challenge.

After reaching the Round of 16 unbeaten, The Brazilian side upset Inter Milan 1-0. Silva, in the centre of Gaúcho’s back three, was crucial to frustrating the Champions League runners-up.

Al-Hilal were next to be eliminated. The Saudi side had held Real Madrid in the group stage and beaten Manchester City in a thriller. Again, Fluminense prevailed. Again, Silva was at the heart of it.

In the United States, the 40-year-old is having an Indian summer. Not since winning the Copa do Brasil during his first spell with Fluminense in 2007 has Silva won silverware in his home country. Success this summer would, arguably, triumph much of what has come before.

“Thiago Silva continues to play at a very high level, leading the entire team and showing intelligence and positioning skills that are well above the average in Brazilian football,” South American football expert Igor of Netflu told The Football Faithful.

“I believe that he can play for another season or two. Thiago is among the great defenders and players in Brazilian football. Below some, because he has not won a World Cup, but still in the top group.”

Silva’s club career was a late bloom. A move to Europe as a teenager failed to work out with Silva hastily returning to home comforts.

In 2009, aged 25, he returned, signing for AC Milan. A stellar spell at the San Siro was followed by a decorated period with Paris Saint-Germain, where Silva lifted seven Ligue 1 titles.

Undoubtedly among the best defenders of his generation, there’s an argument that Silva would stand comfortably in the all-time conversations had the best years of his career not been spent in France.

He has never been one to shirk a challenge. Aged 35 and out of contract in Paris, the defender could have sought a step down. Instead, he joined Chelsea, taking on the Premier League acid-test in the twilight of his career. His speed of thought and excellent anticipation combatted ageing legs, as Silva won the Champions League in his debut season.

A hamstring injury curtailed his final but it was an elusive European triumph after a series of disappointments with PSG. Reservations over whether the ageing star could handle the demands of the Premier League were emphatically answered. He made 155 appearances over four years in West London.

Now, his former team stand in the path of a stunning success with the Tricolor. In a career of extraordinary achievement, the Club World Cup could be an unexpected entry to a glittering résumé.

Read – Four breakout players from the FIFA Club World Cup

See more – The most surprising transfers of the summer so far

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