Andrey Santos has put aside his admiration for Thiago Silva as Chelsea prepares to face Fluminense in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford on Tuesday, Afrosport reports.
The Blues got to the last four of the intercontinental competition after triumphing over Palmeiras in the quarter-finals, while Fluminense got the better of Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal.
It will see Silva reunite with his former employers, having played for them between 2020 and 2024, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2021.
Santos met the 40-year-old centre-back when he joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in 2023, and considers him an icon for the West London club. He will however be focused on getting the better of the former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain player at MetLife Stadium.
“Thiago Silva was so important for me during my first season here,” Santos told the media.
“He is so important for Chelsea and Chelsea fans, too. But (in the semi-final), he is my rival, so we have to work hard against him.”
Next up for Thiago Silva… 👀#FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/Mgqgd4gFz0
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) July 7, 2025
Fluminense will be the third Brazilian team Chelsea will face at the Club World Cup, having met Flamengo during the group stage and lost. Blues boss Enzo Maresca praised their energy during the course of the tournament.
“I have watched some games that they have played, and you can see that they are very well organised. They have some very good players. The manager is doing a fantastic job,” the Italian said.
“The energy from Brazilian teams in this competition has been high – probably the reason why is because they are at the start of their season, while we are finished the season.”
Maresca’s above assertion was however wrong as Brazilian teams were first engaged in the state championship between January and March before the Serie A started in March, when the European season was coming to an end.
