Thiago Silva was part of the Brazil side that were beaten by Croatia yesterday and dumped out of the World Cup, but he did still receive some praise in national media for his efforts.
Chelsea’s Silva, who captained his country during this World Cup in Qatar, has now exited the tournament.
With the veteran defender now 38, it’s fair to predict he’s played his last minutes at a World Cup. Never say never with him, though.
Brazil were labelled the pre-tournament favourites to be crowned world champions, but it’s Croatia that will now face Argentina in the semi-finals. The Croatians should take huge inspiration from back-to-back wins in penalty shootouts to reach the semis.
Thiago Silva against Croatia
Globo Esporte, who graded Silva’s final performance at this World Cup a 7.5/10, praised his contribution.
The Brazilian media site wrote on Silva: “Beautiful launch for Vinicius at three minutes. He showed good recovery when chasing Perisic in the ball launched at the end of the first half. He took the defense’s rebound well at the beginning of the second stage and was precise in anticipation. Furthermore, classes on anticipation and positioning.”
Paul Merson recently explained he’s been amazed by how good Silva has looked at the World Cup.
His Brazil side may have slipped at the quarter-final hurdle to Croatia this week, losing eventually on penalties. However, he should be really proud of his own individual contribution in the last few weeks
The South American was such a strong and composed figure at the defence, something he still does every week in Chelsea colours.
Silva probably wishes everybody would stop talking about his age, but the fact of the matter is he’s now well into his late-thirties.
Does he have another season in him with the Blues?
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