Thiago Silva’s stellar footballing career almost ended before it had began (Image: Getty)
Thiago Silva will go down in history as one of the best defenders football has ever seen when he eventually retires. has had an illustrious 23-year career that has seen him play for top-tier clubs in Brazil, Portugal, Italy, France and England.
He has collected trophies at every stop, including an impressive seven titles with and the with . After leaving Stamford Bridge as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, Silva returned to his first club, Fluminense, last summer, 15 years after his initial departure. However, few are aware that the legendary captain of the Brazil national team – who has earned 113 caps – nearly saw his career tragically be cut short before it even started. Silva began his senior club career in 2002, playing as a defensive midfielder for RS Futebol in Brazil before transitioning to his now familiar centre-back role during a six-month stint at Juventude.
His exceptional performances led to a move to Porto in 2004, but he struggled to secure a place in the first team, prompting a transfer to Dynamo Moscow a year later, at the age of 21. However, while in , he was hospitalised with a potentially fatal case of tuberculosis.
Silva spent five months in hospital and was told he would have died if he had been admitted two weeks later. Doctors recommended removing part of his lung – a procedure that would have surely ended his career – but his family rejected the surgery, reports .
The football icon candidly shared: “Every now and then a doctor would come in and give me an injection, three or four times a day, plus 10-15 pills.” His life and career were turned around by his former Juventude coach, Ivo Wortmann, who introduced him to a specialist in Portugal, credited with the treatment that healed the stalwart defender. Following a remarkable recovery, influenced by his mother’s encouragement, he U-turned on his decision to retire at 22.
Silva returned to boyhood club Fluminense last year (Image: Getty)
While speaking to ESPN Brasil last year as a player, he admitted: “Today, in Brazil, I am considered a crybaby. I don’t think I am better known in Europe than in Brazil, but I believe I am a little more respected here than there. People don’t see how strong I was. I fought tuberculosis and almost died. That made me very strong. Crying is not something that weak people do, it’s something that brave people do, and I was very brave in my life.”
Returning to his roots, Wortmann brought him back to Fluminense, where Silva had played during his youth from 1998 to 2000, after becoming the team’s coach in 2006. It was this homecoming that sparked Silva’s ascent, earning him acclaim as one of their top performers in a struggling side.
Silva’s remarkable form in the subsequent three years, including winning the Copa do Brasil, established him as the pre-eminent defender in Brazil and led to national team call-ups. His European career got its second wind with a transfer to AC Milan in 2009, where his tenacity culminated in winning the title in the 2010/11 season.
A record-breaking £38million transfer to PSG in 2012 saw him become the most expensive defender at that time, and he went on to serve as the club’s longest-standing captain, clinching an impressive 23 trophies. His final appearance for the Parisians was in the 2020 final, where they were defeated 1-0 by Bayern Munich.
However, Silva’s career took a turn for the better when he decided to join on a free transfer as a 36-year-old veteran at the end of that season. Defying all odds, he won the Champions League in his first season, playing in eight European matches, including capturing a clean sheet in the victorious 1-0 final against .
His second season brought further success with the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. Despite ‘s struggles in subsequent seasons, Silva remained a steady performer, earning the team’s player of the year award for 2022/23 and becoming the club’s oldest-ever goalscorer in November 2023.
After returning to Brazil, Silva captained his club 15 times in the Brazilian Serie A and four times in the Copa Libertadores last season. He’s still going strong and has made four appearances so far in the 2025 season.