Player of the season nominees: Thiago Silva
With the season having ended, Sportskeeda decided to let its viewers rate the 30 best players of the season.
We will be shortlisting 30 of the best performers this term, and let you pick your winner.
What do you think? Have your say at the end of the article.
Life before PSG
When Thiago Silva jumped ship to ornament his wardrobe with a Paris Saint-Germain jersey, he received a lot of slack for being a “mercenary of football”. However, the centre back was quick to rebuke such ill-favored titles. He came out vocally to declare his love for his previous employers, AC Milan, and said his move to the French capital was one that was forced upon him. Milan was undergoing dire times thanks to their insolvent finances, for which to tackle the Italians giants had to sell many of their star players – one being Thiago Silva for 42 million Euros.
In contrast to his hyped up transfer from Milan to PSG, Silva was not always to be reckoned with as a marketable asset. This so called “star player” was not always lucrative business to begin with. He plied his trade in a host of Brazilian clubs before Portuguese giants, Porto came calling. Failing to cement a place even amongst the reserves meant Silva moved elsewhere to get more adequate game time. The next stop was Dynamo Moscow where similar fore-ordination awaited him.
Two years later, he managed to solace his reputation by playing a key role in Fluminese’s Copa Libertadores campaign. Despite finishing second in the tournament, a host of European club offers followed Silva who picked his destination to be AC Milan.
At Milan was where the Brazilian captivated audiences across the planet. His potent aerial abilities, indispensable leadership and no nonsense defending proved vital in the Rossoneri winning its first league title in eight years. He also earned a place in the 2011 Serie A team of the Year, 2011 and 2012 UEFA Team of the Year, and won the reputed Migliore difensore as the Italian league’s best defender. Moreover, he was beginning to forge his place in Brazilian National Team as the first choice centre back and in due time, was appointed captain.
2012-13 season at PSG
Thiago Silva’s first season for PSG didn’t begin in the most ceremonious manner. His niggling injuries kept him aside for the beginning of the season but he did make his first start for PSG in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Playing against a less favored Dynamo Kyiv side, Silva chronicled his first appearance as a special one by scoring in the 4-1 thumping of the Ukranians. A week later, Silva played his first game in the Ligue 1 against Bastia on 22nd September. He was soon made club captain by Carlo Ancelloti who had seen the 28 year old’s goal driven mentality during his days at AC Milan.
A second goal for Thiago Silva was not far away as he helped the Parisians knock out arch rivals, Marseille, out of the Coupe de la Ligue. The goal may have been from the penalty spot but Silva’s composure showcased another one of the defender’s much talked about attributes.
His positioning throughout the season had been sublime with even the most revered of attackers failing to dodge past him. One such performance was against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League where goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu was rarely troubled as Silva’s supreme reading of the game was instrumental in PSG running rout of their opponents.
A tough game followed against Barcelona in the Champions League where every critic predicted a one-way rout for the Catalans. The games were close with Thiago Silva at the heart of it in defense. While PSG might have narrowly missed out in a semi-final berth in the Champions League, Silva’s performance on the field stood out even amongst the likes of the world’s best trio of players – Xavi Hernandez, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta.