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Chelsea honored their former player Thiago Silva with a special jersey after their 2-0 semifinal win over Fluminense in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday (July 8). The Blues gave the Brazilian, who played for Fluminense at MetLife Stadium, a 2025-26 jersey with his name and number printed on the back.
The 40-year-old played 155 games for the Blues in his career, winning the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup in 2021.
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Silva spoke about his side's 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign and their loss to Chelsea. He told the official FIFA website:
“I’m really sad, it’s hard to talk. We came here to win today. We believed we could. It wasn’t to be. There’s a big difference between European and South American teams. I’ve been on the other side and now I’m here. Financially we can’t complete. We knew we needed to play a perfect game to win."
"We struggled to keep the ball. But we fought, we tried to win. Unfortunately it’s not always enough, the difference is too great. It’s a feeling of great sadness, but the affection from the fans after the final whistle, what I’ve heard about the fans on the Copacabana cheering us on, gives us a little bit of consolation at this very difficult time," he added.
Fluminense defeated Inter Milan and Al-Hilal in the knockout stages after finishing second in Group F.
Thiago Silva sends message to new Chelsea signing
Thiago Silva spoke about his compatriot João Pedro, who joined Chelsea this month. Pedro scored both goals in Tuesday's semifinal. Silva said the former Watford star was special and that he has been helping the 23-year-old. He said (via GOAL):
"This kid is special, I have a lot of affection for him. A while ago, I recommended him to the people who take care of my physical health. He works with my physiotherapist in Europe, who also takes care of my children. I faced him a few times at Chelsea, when he was still at Watford, and he had two great games against us."
"I said, ‘Man, this kid is special’. I didn’t expect him to be inspired today, he hit some great shots. One of our kids knocked us out of such an important competition, but good luck to him," Silva added.
João Pedro joined the Blues earlier this month and made his full debut against the side where he started his career.
