Chelsea star Thiago Silva reveals rare illness almost forced him to retire from football
CHELSEA defender Thiago Silva has revealed a tuberculosis diagnosis almost forced him to retire from football early on in his career.
Silva, 38, has played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
He has won the Serie A title, seven Ligue 1 titles, and the Champions League.
The centre-back also lifted the Copa America with Brazil back in 2019.
But he could have been deprived of all of that had his tuberculosis worsened – a condition which forced him to undergo surgery on his lung.
It occurred during his time in Russia – where he was on loan at Dynamo Moscow but never played a single game – before he headed to Portugal to finish his recovery.
Speaking to Chelsea’s club website, he said: “I spent six months in Russia. It was one of the worst times of my life. I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to play football again. I just had a dream that I would, but I didn’t know for sure.
“I moved to Dynamo Moscow in Russia on loan from Porto and during the pre-season, I suddenly started to feel very ill. I had some tests done on me and it was confirmed I had tuberculosis and that it was already very advanced.
“Because of how advanced it was, the doctors decided it would be best for me to stay in hospital for treatment.
“The doctors in Russia wanted to perform surgery on my lung. With that, I know with certain that I wouldn’t have played football again. It was a really tough time.”
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He continued: “I listened to the advice of the people around me, those the closest to me. My mother, my girlfriend, my manager.
“I listened to them and knew I had to do what they were telling me to do. They wanted only the best for me and I knew they were the ones looking out for me. The decision was made.
“My solicitor came to an agreement to make sure that I left the hospital in Russia and could finish my treatment in Portugal. This was really important for me.
“I stayed three more months there. Every day, taking my medicine and going on my daily walks. It was a long wait. But eventually I had the chance to go to the specialist and he told me that I should remain calm.
“Calm?! How could I stay calm?
“Then, after a period of time, he told me what I so desperately wanted to hear. I could go back to playing football and fulfil my dream.
“Once you get past a difficult period in your life, you know you’ll be victorious. Not only for fulfilling your dream, your destiny of playing football but also for winning all the titles that you longed for and dreamed of.”
Earlier this year, Silva penned a 12-month extension to keep him at Stamford Bridge until the end of the 2023/24 season.
The South American joined Chelsea on a free transfer in 2020 and has gone on to play 117 times for the club.
New boss Mauricio Pochettino is stacked in central defence – with Silva, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella all options at his disposal.