Former PSG captain reveals his unfufilled dream of playing for Barcelona | OneFootball

Thiago Silva, one of the top centre-backs of his generation, is currently nearing the end of his career at Fluminense.

Having made his name at AC Milan and later Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, Silva was, at one point, on Barcelona’s radar as a potential reinforcement for their back line.

However, the move never materialised, and the Brazilian was left unable to fulfil his dream of wearing the Barça shirt.

In an interview with French outlet Carre (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Silva confirmed that he had hoped to join Barcelona before signing with PSG in the summer of 2012.

“Before signing with PSG, Barça were interested in me. It was difficult because I had just renewed my contract with Milan. But Barça was truly the team I dreamed of. I dreamed of playing for Barça,” said Silva.

Thiago Silva dreamt of playing for Barça. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Continuing, he added: “When the opportunity came up, I thought about it. But then Galliani extended my contract. A week later, they told me I could leave, and the only team that could afford the transfer was PSG.

“At that point, Barça had already pulled out of the negotiations, and Leonardo convinced me to join PSG. But it is true that a month earlier, I could have gone to Barça,” said Silva, visibly disappointed about missing the chance to fulfil that goal.

Although he never became a Barça player, Silva enjoyed a stellar career in Europe, with an illustrious spell at PSG, where he won numerous trophies as captain, and four strong seasons at Chelsea.

In the summer of 2024, he returned to Fluminense, the club where he began his professional journey.