Thiago Silva warned: “No one guaranteed a place at FC Porto” | OneFootball

In a surprising turn of events in recent weeks, Thiago Silva has returned to FC Porto, more than two decades after a brief stint with the B team, and was presented as the first winter signing for the Dragons.

The 41-year-old central defender arrived in Portugal last Sunday and has already joined FC Porto’s mid-season training camp at Quinta do Lago, in the Algarve.

Rubens Júnior, who shared the locker room with Thiago Silva in the B team during the 2004/05 season, recalls that early phase of the player’s career and analyzed his return to Invicta in an exclusive conversation with Portal dos Dragões. The former player believes that Thiago may have opportunities, despite the solid performances of the Polish duo Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior in the defensive line this season.

“Whoever arrives or is already here doesn’t have a guaranteed spot. No one has a guaranteed place. We’re having an excellent campaign, and our defensive line is great. Thiago [Silva] will add even more. We need him. After losing Nehuén Pérez, FC Porto had to improvise in many games, and Pablo [Rosário] did that job very well. I think Thiago has the ability not only to play but also to bring his experience, to raise the team’s competitive level even further. The team is doing very well, but hasn’t won anything yet,” Rubens Junior began, highlighting the top-level career Thiago Silva has achieved.

“We know how important it is to have players who are used to winning titles, to being champions, and who are used to having high-level players in their position. Thiago played at Chelsea, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and always faced tough competition, and vice versa, just like Kiwior, Bednarek, and Nehuén Pérez have. I think the important thing is to add value and raise the team’s level. After that, it’s up to the coach to decide who will play, not us. More and more nowadays, squads don’t work with just 11 players, but with at least 25 athletes, and all of them are important. All of them are capable of helping—maybe in one game, maybe not in another. That’s how great teams are built,” he further emphasized.

Despite Thiago Silva’s age, Rubens Júnior is convinced that his compatriot will deliver when called upon by Francesco Farioli.

“Thiago has already proven that he’s in great shape. He had a great Club World Cup with Fluminense and was playing top-level football. He arrives at FC Porto at a high level and with the ability to show he’s still performing at that level. It’s still too early for him to think about next season. He’s here to contribute during this period. Now is the time to keep building on what he’s been showing, in a team that’s doing very well, that will welcome him, and that will help him make the most of this good moment and this good phase. He’s an example for everyone. I even think he’s an example that when a player takes care of himself, has ambition, and is disciplined with his body, he can come to FC Porto at 41 years old, perform, and become a champion,” he said.

“Thiago has been an example even before arriving at FC Porto, and he will continue to be. He’ll be a role model not just for those starting out, but for those already playing. He’ll always be an example. Now, whether he plays or not, I’m not the coach. I think he has what it takes. If FC Porto signed him, it’s because the club believes in him and has Farioli’s approval. If they brought him in, it’s because he has the ability to play, to be a starter. In whose place, with whom, or how he’ll fit in will be seen over time. But Thiago is ready and able to help and maintain or even improve the team’s level,” he concluded.

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