Chelsea veteran Thiago Silva: it felt 'like love at first sight' when he joined

Thiago Silva has revealed that it would be his 'dream' to see his kids play professionally for Chelsea in the future.

The Brazilian defender is still going strong at the age of 39 in what is his fourth season at Stamford Bridge.

He has built a strong affinity with the club and their supporters, and played down talks of a return to Brazil in the summer as his family are happy and settled in London.

Silva has two sons, Isago da Silva and Iago da Silva and both currently play for Chelsea's academy.

In an interview with the club's website, Silva said it was 'love at first sight' when he joined the club in 2020, and would love to see his children play at the club in the future.

'I have to say, at every club I've been at, I've felt a lot of love from the clubs themselves and the fans, but here it feels a little bit different, because of the fact that my kids are playing in the team too,' Silva said.

'For me, it would be a dream to see them play professionally at Chelsea. I love watching them, ultimately, and I try to help them as much as I can.

'I love seeing my kids playing here, my wife is here all the time and even wants to be at every away game. I think she realises that time is running out slightly, so she wants to make the most of the last few years of my career.

'When I got here, it felt like love at first sight, to be honest, and I'm still very proud to be here.'

Silva has surpassed initial expectations at Stamford Bridge, with his age raising questions on how long he could go at the club.

Since his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, he has played 130 games and scored six goals, with Chelsea's biggest achievement being their Champions League triumph in 2021.

He had been linked with a return to boyhood club Fluminense, but refuted those claims to Brazilian publication Ge Globo.

'Everyone knows how much I would like to return to Fluminense, but today it's hard to talk to my family [about it] because my children don't want to live in Brazil,' Silva said.

'It's a very complicated situation, but we still have a year to reflect and understand what we're going to do next year.'

According to the Daily Mirror, his eldest son Isago, 15, has a contract due to run until the summer of 2025 at Cobham.