Silva was a veteran when he signed for Chelsea in 2020, before an impressive four years at Stamford Bridge. In his first season with Chelsea, Silva was with the UEFA Champions League champions.
In total, the Brazilian defender played 155 matches for Chelsea and left the team in the summer of 2024. Thiago Silva has had a big impact on the development of some of Chelsea's young players. Many of them are playing for the team under the leadership of Enzo Maresca.
He is a football legend, a top player, Marc Cucurella, Silvas teammate for two years, told the British media. Cucurella also stressed that he had texted his senior about the upcoming reunion. He hopes to help Chelsea beat Fluminense in the semi-finals and then the final.
Thiago Silva became famous for wearing the Fluminense shirt, making up the squad for the Copa Libertador final in 2008, before losing to Ecuador's LDU Quito. After leaving Chelsea, he returned to Fluminense, along with the Copa Libertador champions in 2023 - the premise to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Earlier this year, the Brazilian reunited with Renato Gaucho, who was appointed in 2008 and is currently in his sixth spell in charge of the club.
In this year's tournament, Fluminense played impressively when they held Borussia Dortmund to a draw in the group stage, eliminating Inter Milan in the round of 16 and defeating Saudi Arabia's strong team Al Hilal in the quarter-finals.
After the victory over Al Hilal, Silva emphasized that he did not think he would go so far with the team in this year's tournament. He emphasized that Fluminense's financial scale is far behind some teams, especially teams in Europe, but the Brazilian team also has its own advantage, which is the atmosphere as a family, helping the players to reach their full potential.
Silva, 40, is one of Fluminense's oldest players, along with 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio, 3-year-old full-back Samuel Xavier and 3-year-old Argentine striker German Cano.
Coach Enzo Maresca highly appreciates Thiago Silva and his teammates, especially their ability to organize. Fluminense will be the third Brazilian team Chelsea have met in this year's tournament.
Before that, the London club lost to Flamengo in the group stage, but defeated Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. Maresca added: The energy from the Brazilian teams in this competition is very high, perhaps the reason is because they are in the early stages of the season while we have finished the season.
Chelsea were not rated too highly before entering the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, but they are now only 2 matches away from the title. If they beat Fluminense, they will meet Real Madrid or PSG in the final.
Unlike their opponents, Chelsea have a young squad. Their starting lineup in the quarter-finals is only 24 years old. In the coming time, their force will be even younger with the participation of Joao Pedro (23 years old), Estevao Willian (18 years old) and Jamie Gittens (20 years old).
The Chelsea vs Fluminense match will take place at 2:00 a.m. on July 9. The English side will receive a big boost as Moises Caicedo, a 23-year-old midfielder, returns from suspension.
