Thiago Silva on Chelsea’s ambition, his recovery process and post-career plans
From the official Chelsea FC website:
Thiago Silva has been impressed by Chelsea’s outlay in the January transfer window, and the defender is confident the injection of fresh energy will set us up well for the remaining months of this season and beyond.
The Blues signed eight new players last month, one of whom, Malo Gusto, has returned on loan to Lyon for the rest of 2022/23. Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke were the latest to make their debut, in the goalless draw with Fulham, while Thiago’s compatriot Andrey Santos is competing at the Under-20 South American Championship in Colombia.
‘It’s the first time I’ve seen something like this in my whole career,’ Thiago said of our January activity.
‘This shows about the ambition of the club, how much the club wants to win. We had a lot of injury problems this year. A lot of new players arrived and that takes time to prepare and get used to.
‘We know we’re not having the best season, but I really believe that the positive thing is: if we don’t start well, we can finish well. So, that’s what we need to learn as a lesson, try to get settled in as soon as possible, because there’s no time left, because the Champions League will start again soon.
‘We need everyone to be ready, at the same page, we won’t be at 100 per cent, but the knowledge of each other has to be important at this moment to build chemistry.’
Despite the flurry of new arrivals, including in central defence, Thiago Silva remains a mainstay of the Chelsea side, belying his 38 years and leading by example.
Of course, there is so much that goes into his consistently outstanding performances for us away from the pitch. He admits his body is surprising even himself, but it is clear there are several reasons why he continues to play at such a high level, including a sharing of ideas with former Brazilian basketballer Leandrinho Barbosa and Brazilian mixed martial artist Vitor Belfort.
‘I have my responsibility to understand that we have a young team and that the team theoretically needs me and my help,’ he starts.
‘For me to help, I need to be physically well, I need to be well recovered. We have a great communication with staff, because I tell them that I need to be well.
‘If I’m tired, besides damaging the defence, I won’t be able to help my team. So we have this plan that is a little different to the other players, but I’m always on the [training] pitch, every day, I’m never outside of the game and I hope the season ends this way.
‘In Paris [Saint-Germain] I had a very bad injury in the posterior of my thigh that I couldn’t get back,’ continued Thiago.
‘Every time I came back, I felt that little pain again. That’s where I got the idea of talking to Victor. I bought the hyperbaric chamber and by that time, things worked out. The injury went away quickly. I didn’t stop doing it.
‘Leandrinho and I exchanged a lot of ideas. He recently stopped playing, but he has good ideas about recovery equipment. We know we won’t get very far, but I want to finish in a dignified way. I don’t want to finish with a cane! I want to finish in a way that I still feel good, you know?’
Thankfully there is no end in sight for Thiago the footballer, and he recently revealed his contract negotiations with Chelsea are going positively. He expects to extend his time at Stamford Bridge into a fourth season, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t given some thought to what he will do when he does eventually retire from the game he has given so much to.
‘I’m living this moment very much, I’m trying to enjoy it a lot, you know,’ underlined Thiago.
‘However, we need to think about a post-career plan now. I’ve already started thinking about that, I’ve already started the CBF [the Brazil Football Federation] coaching licence.
‘It is difficult to advance to the next stages, because of having to be with the club, do the trainings and follow our team. But I’ll always try to do it on my holidays, when I have time.
‘Of course, I don’t want to finish my career this year or next year. Let’s see what happens in the future, maybe I become a coach or get involved in football, which is something I love.’
For now, let’s keep enjoying Thiago while we can!
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