Blues aim for final but must overcome Silva's Big Flu

CHELSEA'S young side are targeting a place in the final of the Fifa Club World Cup when they take on Fluminense in the last four on Tuesday, with the Brazilian team marshalled by former Blues defender Thiago Silva, who is still going strong at the age of 40.

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Silva was already a veteran when he signed for Chelsea in 2020 before going on to have an impressive four-year stint at Stamford Bridge. One of the finest centre-backs of his generation, Silva arrived after eight years at Paris Saint-Germain and, in his first season at Chelsea, won the Uefa Champions League.

He played 155 games for the London club and left 12 months ago after helping oversee the development of some of the young talents now featuring regularly under Enzo Maresca.

“He's a legend of football, a top player,” Marc Cucurella, a teammate of Silva's for two years, said, adding that the two had exchanged messages about their impending reunion.

“We have the opportunity to play against him again and hopefully we can do good things, win this game and play in the final.”

Silva initially made his name at Fluminense, featuring in the team that reached the Copa Libertadores final in 2008 before losing to LDU Quito of Ecuador. He returned there upon leaving Chelsea, once again pulling on the green, red and white of the Rio de Janeiro outfit who won the Copa Libertadores in 2023.