The Brazilian centre-back joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2020 and has played a crucial role in many victories since, captaining the Blues on a number of occasions and lifting silverware in the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

However, it is in the Premier League where his latest distinction came. Our oldest-ever goalscorer netted his seventh in that competition on his 100th start, in yesterday’s 2-2 draw away at Sheffield United.

To recognise the 39-year-old’s achievement, we look back at some of Thiago Silva’s best Premier League performances for the Blues.

Chelsea 4-0 Crystal Palace, 2020/21

Thiago Silva didn’t have the easiest of introductions to life in the Premier League, with an uncharacteristic error in a 3-3 draw away at West Bromwich Albion, but by the end of his home Premier League debut the Chelsea supporters knew just what a player we had signed.

Dominant throughout, the Brazilian helped us keep our first league clean sheet of the season, denying Crystal Palace even a single shot on target in 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge. Thiago’s control of possession from deep also stood out, successfully completing 97 per cent of his 116 passes, more than any other player on the pitch. The perfect star from our No6!

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea, 2021/22

It may not have been a victory, and Thiago Silva may not have been in the starting line-up – being eased into action early in the campaign after missing pre-season while competing in the Copa America – but that didn’t stop him making a huge impact on this trip to Anfield.

After the game was turned on its head in first-half stoppage time – Reece James receiving a red card and Mohamed Salah equalising for Liverpool from the resulting penalty – Thomas Tuchel turned to Thiago Silva to reinforce his defence for the inevitable second-half onslaught by the home side.

It took a heroic effort to withstand the pressure and become the first side to take a point off Liverpool that season, and Thiago showed every bit of his experience and reading of the game with four crucial interceptions to deny Salah and Sadio Mane.

Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur, 2021/22

In truth, you could list either of this season's Premier League derbies with Tottenham here. Including the Carabao Cup, we faced Spurs four times in 2021/22, winning with a clean sheet on each occasion, while Thiago Silva became the first-ever Chelsea defender to score against our rivals home and away in the Premier League.

This was the second of those Premier League matches, when the defender showed his ability at either end of the pitch. A glancing header from a Mason Mount free-kick for our second goal meant he had broken Didier Drogba’s record as our oldest scorer in the competition.

Thiago Silva also came out on top in his defensive dual with Harry Kane yet again, keeping the England striker quiet with his dominance in the air, underlined by the fact our centre-back managed more efforts on goal than the Spurs forward. No wonder Thiago received a standing ovation from the Bridge at the final whistle.

Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United, 2022/23

Of course, Thiago Silva hasn’t just impressed for the Blues with his defensive skill or aerial prowess. His raking passes across the pitch and in behind opposition back lines have launched many an attack, and his assist for Ben Chilwell’s equaliser against West Ham was a perfect example.

His high pass into the box had just enough pace on it to drop beyond the defenders, while allowing Chilwell to bring it down and finish brilliantly from an angle to level the scores, before Kai Havertz completed the comeback just over 10 minutes later.

Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea, 2022/23

Shortly after that West Ham win, Thiago Silva recorded assists in back-to-back Premier League games when he set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s first goal for Chelsea, and our first in this victory at Selhurst Park.

This one was all about his awareness and reading of the game, as he chose to remain upfield following a set-piece to catch the Palace defenders napping, nodding James’ crossfield pass down to Aubameyang in space to lash home a first-time finish.

At the other end, Thiago’s sliding challenge on Odsonne Edouard to prevent a Palace counter was as perfectly-timed a tackle as you could hope to see, underlining why he ended 2022/23 as our Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.

Chelsea 4-4 Manchester City, 2023/24

It might seem strange to highlight a defender’s contribution to an eight-goal epic, but Thiago Silva showed that, even at the age of 39, he could still cut it in a game played at the most frantic pace against the very best.

He was furious when he did well to head a Man City cross clear, only to see our opponents handed a penalty for a push elsewhere in the box, and that emotion was clear as Thiago celebrated his own equaliser four minutes later. It was a brilliant, trademark run from the centre-back across the front post to head in Conor Gallagher’s corner.

While it is often the Brazilian’s composure and reading of the game which is highlighted, all of his passion was on display in this epic match, never more so than in the celebrations after Cole Palmer’s injury-time penalty secured a point against the champions.

Thiago's goal against City saw him eclipse Dickie Spence’s long-standing record as Chelsea’s all-time oldest scorer (unequalled since 1947), and he took Spence’s record for oldest-ever player the following week.