Author: Amrit Santlani
Chelsea fans have voted Brazilian defender Thiago Silva the best player of the season. After finishing second behind Mason Mount last year, Silva picked up the award in a difficult campaign for Chelsea, who finished 12th in the Premier League. The 38-year-old received the award during a ceremony before Chelsea’s final league game against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.
The former Paris Saint-Germain defender joined the Premier League giants three seasons ago and has been a solid rock for the team ever since. Silva received an incredible 61% of the votes from Chelsea fans in an online poll, becoming only the second Brazilian to win the honor, after Willian took the award in 2016.
The veteran central defender finished ahead of Enzo Fernandez, the Argentinian World Cup winner who moved from Benfica at the beginning of January, while goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga came third.
Silva has led Chelsea since Jorginho left for Arsenal, and has been an important figure, having played 35 games in all competitions, with only Kai Havertz registering more minutes than the old workhorse.
Looking at some of Silva’s numbers, it’s clear that he’s been a key player for the Londoners, having made 33 interceptions and 106 tackles, as well as blocking 28 Chelsea shots on goal. He also won 112 one-on-one duels and, to top it off, the Brazilian was also very efficient with the ball at his feet, with a passing accuracy of 91.3% in the Premier League.
After starting the season very well, the former AC Milan defender suffered a knee injury and was sidelined for a few games in March and April, but he’s back to full fitness.
Having agreed a contract extension earlier this year, which will run until the end of next season, Silva is expected to play a key role for the Premier League giants next year too.