Thiago Emiliano da Silva (born 22 September 1984) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captains Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Fluminense.

[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Silva began his senior club career in 2002 playing as a midfielder for RS Futebol, and transitioned to a defensive position while at Juventude; he then signed with Porto in 2004, at age 19, and moved to Dynamo Moscow on loan, where he was hospitalized with a near fatal bout of tuberculosis.

[25] Silva's form through the season led him to be selected into Brazil national team manager Dunga's preliminary squad for the 2007 Copa América.

On 18 January, Silva was rewarded by Fluminense's board of directors for his 100th match in the tricolor: He was awarded a shirt with the number "100" and a plaque in honour of his achievements.

[35] Silva was widely regarded as one of Fluminense's most important performers in the 2008 Copa Libertadores,[34][36][37] reaching the finals only to lose on penalties to LDU Quito.

[59] On 25 November, Silva put in a man of the match performance against Marseille to secure passage into the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Matched against UEFA Club Footballer of the Year winner Diego Milito, Silva nullified his efforts and played a key role in Milan's 1–0 victory.

[88] In the match that sealed the Scudetto for Milan, Silva anchored the Rossoneri to a 3–0 victory in the Derby della Madonnina against city rivals Inter.

[95][96] Milan's season began with a 2–1 victory over Inter in the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana; Silva was the best defender in the match and one of the best overall performers, making a decisive last-man tackle on Samuel Eto'o to deny a clear chance in the first half.

[99] In a Champions League group stage match against Barcelona, Silva and Alessandro Nesta were crucial in the 2–2 result; both defenders were regarded as two of the best performers by Italian and Catalan media.

[113] In Milan's 4–0 win over Arsenal in the Champions League Round of 16, Silva successfully marked-out Robin van Persie, who was in a great run of form.

[120] Silva's strong season finished in another nomination to the Serie A Team of the Year, being joint-best central defender alongside Juve stalwart Andrea Barzagli.

[128] Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi mentioned a potential transfer on 13 June, saying that Silva needed to be sold for €46 million in order to balance the club's accounts.

[139] Thirteen days later, Silva was declared fit to play, in time for a Champions League group stage match against Dynamo Kyiv.

[181] Silva was imperious in PSG's 2–0 win against Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes, where he covered for the errors of teammate Gregory van der Wiel and was even close to scoring himself.

[183] In PSG's comprehensive 4–0 win in the Champions League over Bayer Leverkusen, Silva was regarded by Le Parisien as having "dominated" then Bundesliga leading-scorer Stefan Kießling.

[185] On 16 February, Ronaldo, the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, compared the qualities of Silva to legendary German sweeper Franz Beckenbauer.

[186] Silva managed another accomplished display in Le Classique, marshaling the club's defence to a clean sheet and helping extend its lead to eight points at the top of the Ligue 1 table.

On 19 April, Silva captained PSG to a 2–1 victory in the 2014 Coupe de la Ligue Final, the first time the club had won the competition since 1998.

[197] Only three days after the match against Reims, Silva's rush to get back to full fitness was halted as he suffered a serious thigh injury in a friendly against Napoli on 11 August; he only lasted 13 minutes before being carried off the pitch.

[207][208] After PSG's 1–1 draw with Chelsea in the first leg of the 2014–15 Champions League Round of 16, Silva was unanimously praised by the French press for his outstanding defensive showing as he marked-out striker Diego Costa.

[215][216][217] PSG finally took pole position in the league after their 2–3 win over Marseille; Silva was dominant in his duels and played a crucial role in the victory.

[224] One week later, PSG clinched the Ligue 1 title in a hard-fought 2–1 away win at Montpellier; Silva was voted man of the match and he was hailed for marking out Lucas Barrios.

[238][239] On 13 June, PSG's sporting director Leonardo revealed that Thiago Silva would be leaving the club at the end of the Champions League campaign in August, alongside his teammate Edinson Cavani.

[260] On 7 May 2024, Silva agreed to join Fluminense as a free agent in July 2024 on a two-year deal, returning to his home club fifteen and a half years later.

[261] After a strong season with Fluminense, Silva was called up to the Brazil preliminary squad for the 2007 Copa América,[262] though he was not a part of the main team which ultimately won the tournament.

[274] Silva was selected as captain by new Brazil coach Mano Menezes ahead of the 2014 World Cup qualifying cycle, replacing Lúcio.

In the second minute of the game, Silva pulled down Arjen Robben, as he ran into Júlio César's box with the ball for a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

In Brazil's final group match against Venezuela at the Estadio Monumental David Arellano in Santiago, Silva opened the scoring in the ninth minute, volleying in a corner from Robinho.

[355] Silva, representing Brazil, starred alongside Luka Modrić (Croatia), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Andre Blake (Jamaica), Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon) and Brian Kaltak (Vanuatu).