At 39, Thiago Silva seems to have found a second youth. At Chelsea, the former PSG captain (2012-2020) and pampered by Mauricio Pochettino (ex-Paris coach) became the oldest outfield player to play Premier League matches. The record holder for the number of matches played as captain of the capital club (293 with the armband) spoke at length in the columns of The Guardian about the secrets of his longevity, the elimination of Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar against Croatia but also and above all, addressed a tackle to PSG.
“Look, nothing happens overnight. You’re not going to achieve everything just because you have a lot of money. That’s not how football works. If you don’t have a clear plan of what you want, things won’t work,” Silva said. Before adding: “Above all, you must be respected inside your country to be respected outside. We did not do it. We did the opposite. We wanted to be loved abroad, but we did nothing to be respected at home.” As a reminder, the central defender had not digested his departure from the club at the end of the 2019/2020 season.
The former PSG captain confided in the columns of France Football that his departure was not amicable and that he did not want to leave the capital. “I really didn’t like the way it was handled,” Silva first said before criticizing the management of Leonardo, the club’s former sporting director, calling it “clumsy and hasty.” The Chelsea player even went further by speaking of lack of respect. “During the pandemic, they had three months to plan my farewells, but nothing was done. I didn’t stay for a season or a few months, it’s an eight-year story of a captain who lifted a lot of trophies at the club. I deserved a lot more respect than that.” Three years later, the injury has (still) not been treated…
