Chosen by Tite to be the captain of the Brazilian team in the Qatar Cup, Thiago Silva, 38, declared in an interview with FIFA that the dispute in this tournament is a goal that he outlined in his life four years ago, the day after Brazil was eliminated by Belgium at the 2018 World Cup.
“From the first day after the defeat to Belgium in Russia, I set myself the goal of playing another World Cup”, said the defender, the country’s oldest athlete to play in World Cups. “And I did.”
It is the third time that Thiago Silva has received the captain’s armband in a World Cup, always worn by a player of recognized technical and/or motivational leadership.
The first was in 2014, at the World Cup in Brazil, under the command of Luiz Felipe Scolari, and the second at the Russian World Cup, a competition in which Tite implemented a rotation of captains.
Thiago Silva won the armband in Russia in the victories over Costa Rica, in the group stage, and Mexico, in the round of 16, both 2-0.
With him as captain, Brazil has recorded eight wins and one defeat in World Cups.
In addition to the victories in 2018 –in the fall against Belgium it was another defender, Miranda, who wore the stripe–, the former Fluminense player, currently at Chelsea (England), captained the team in its debut in the Qatar World Cup and in six matches in the 2014 Cup.
Its only setback in the Brazilian World Cup was registered in the dispute for third place, when the national team, still under the shock of the 7-1 to Germany in the semifinal, played without all the starters.
In the biggest embarrassment in the history of the Brazilian team, against the Germans in the semifinal, Thiago Silva was out due to suspension, caused by the yellow card he received against Colombia, in the quarterfinals. The captain in that match was defender David Luiz.
In an interview with football’s governing body, the number 3 of the national team (he wore the same number in 2014 and number 2 in 2018) stated that, after hanging up his boots, he is thinking of becoming a football coach.
“It could be the path I take after finishing my playing career. This could be the next chapter in my story.”
He also listed the defenders he came to admire while growing up in football (Juan, former Flamengo and national team, Maldini and Nesta, Milan idols) and coaches he considers important throughout his career, not forgetting to mention the current head of the national team .
“My admiration for certain coaches, like Carlo Ancelotti [atual técnico do Real Madrid]Tite and Thomas Tuchel [ex-Chelsea, hoje sem clube]is well known.”
And what about the possibility of Brazil winning the sixth championship? Showed optimism.
“I think we’re more mature [em relação à equipe de 2018]🇧🇷 We are a very strong group and very focused on achieving our goal.”
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