Thiago Emiliano da Silva

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Personal information
Thiago Silva
Full name	Thiago Emiliano da Silva
Date of birth	September 22, 1984 (1984-09-22) (age 23)
Place of birth	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Central Defender
Club information
Current club	Fluminense
Number	3
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001-2002 2003-2004 2004 2005 2006-present	RS Futebol Juventude-RS Porto Dynamo Moscow Fluminense	125 (13)
National team
2008	Brazil
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Thiago Emiliano da Silva, or simply Thiago Silva (born September 22, 1984 in Rio de Janeiro), is a Brazilian central defender. He currently plays for Fluminense.

"Thiago Silva is a monster," says Fluminense coach Renato Gaúcho. "I've got the best centre-back in Brazil in my team." The pair go way back. In 1995 Renato Gaúcho used his stomach to score the famous goal that won Fluminense the Rio de Janeiro State Championship.^[1]. It was a decisive moment in the decision of a 10 year-old Thiago Silva, growing up in the city suburbs, to support the club.

Thirteen years later Thiago Silva is a Fluminense idol, but he has taken the scenic route on the way. He did train with Fluminense's youth sides, but was discarded. After playing well in youth tournaments he was offered a professional contract by tiny Rio Grande do Sul state club RS Futebol, in the south of Brazil, and was quickly picked up by nearby Juventude, with whom he had an excellent debut season in the First Division in 2004.

By this time Thiago Silva, formerly a right winger who also had spells in midfield and at full-back, had been converted into a specialist centre-back. And he was good enough to attract the attention of European clubs. But spells with Porto and Dynamo Moscow were blighted by injuries and illness, and he returned to Brazil to rebuild his career with his first love. Now, after two highly successful years at Fluminense, the club's Libertadores Cup campaign offers him the biggest challenge so far.

Renato Gaúcho's description is not entirely accurate. Thiago Silva is an unlikely monster, but his quality is unmistakable. He is in the "quietly elegant" school of centre-backs. With his size and strength there is no need for him to fear physical battles. But this is not where he excels. In fact, he is happiest avoiding clashes by using his other virtues - superb reading of the game, excellent covering, wonderful timing in the tackle and enough speed to be comfortable if drawn out wide.

All these attributes were on show last season and helped Fluminense finish fourth in the national championship, having conceded just 39 goals in 38 games, the second lowest tally, in addition to winning the Brazilian Cup.

The latter success booked them a ticket to their first Libertadores Cup campaign since 1985. Anxious to improve their shocking record in the competition, Fluminense have signed three former national team strikers - Washington, Leandro Amaral and Dodô - with the intention, initially at least, of fielding them all. With the team inevitably more open as a result, Thiago Silva's defensive abilities will be more necessary than ever. However he seems most comfortable playing very deep, using his anticipation to step up and win possession. Retaining that positioning with three strikers could well cause problems; it is likely to leave the pitch very big, with plenty of space for the opposing midfield to organise their moves.

So can Thiago Silva play higher up the field? Can he be a more imposing figure? The importance of these questions goes beyond the fate of Fluminense in the Libertadores Cup. European scouts are watching him closely. They sometimes complain that Brazilian centre-backs like to stay in the comfort zone almost on top of their keeper. It could well be that, if he is to return to Europe in triumph, Thiago Silva will have to show he can be physically commanding as well as classy.