The first trophy of Thiago Emiliano da Silva’s career came in 2007, when Fluminense won the Copa do Brasil. Born in Rio de Janeiro on 22 September 1984, the centre-back went through small clubs, Portugal and Russia before establishing himself at the Rio club, and from there moved on to a long European career with AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Youth and early years
Thiago Silva spent time in Fluminense’s youth teams between 1998 and 2000 but was not kept on. He then played for Barcelona, a small Rio club, and in 2001 moved to RS Futebol in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, where he turned professional in 2002. In 2004 he played for Juventude, making around 30 appearances and scoring 3 goals in six months, and in September that year he joined Porto. In Portugal he only featured for the reserve side, playing 14 games. In 2005 he moved to Dynamo Moscow but never made his debut: he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and spent about six months in hospital.
Fluminense’s “Monstro”
Once recovered, he returned to Fluminense in 2006. The following year he won the 2007 Copa do Brasil. In the 2008 Copa Libertadores he scored against Boca Juniors in the semi-final, a goal that earned him the nickname “Monstro”, and played in the final, which the Rio side lost to LDU Quito. He finished that spell with 146 appearances and 14 goals.
AC Milan
Milan signed him in December 2008 and he made his official debut in 2009. With the Rossoneri he won the 2010-11 Serie A and the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana, wore the captain’s armband and made 119 appearances, scoring 6 goals, before leaving in July 2012.
Paris Saint-Germain
In July 2012 he joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he spent eight seasons. He played 315 matches and scored 17 goals. He won seven Ligue 1 titles (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20), six Coupes de la Ligue, five Coupes de France and five Trophées des Champions. As captain he played in the 2019-20 Champions League final, which PSG lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
Chelsea
In August 2020 he moved to Chelsea. In his first season in London he won the 2020-21 Champions League, adding the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in 2021. He lost two League Cup finals and two FA Cup finals. He left the club at the end of the 2023-24 season with 156 appearances and 9 goals.
Brazil national team
With the Olympic side he won bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012, captaining the team at the latter. For the senior team he won 113 caps and scored 7 goals between 2008 and 2022. He was named in the 2010 World Cup squad but did not play. As captain he lifted the 2013 Confederations Cup. At the 2014 World Cup he played six matches, scored once and missed the semi-final through suspension; Brazil finished fourth. He played all five games at the 2018 World Cup, started every match of the 2019 Copa América, which Brazil won, and was a runner-up at the 2021 edition. At the 2022 World Cup he played four matches and captained the side against Serbia; Brazil went out to Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Return to Brazil and spell at Porto
In June 2024 he returned to Fluminense and made his debut in July. He captained the team, played at the 2025 Club World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals, and made 66 appearances with 5 goals. In December 2025 he terminated his contract for family reasons. He then signed for Porto, making his debut in January 2026 in the Taça de Portugal; he played 14 matches, won the 2025-26 Primeira Liga and left the club in May 2026. In June 2026 he rejoined Fluminense for his fourth spell at the club.
Fluminense