Thiago Silva says he dreams of returning to former club Fluminense before he retires, drawing inspiration from Paolo Maldini as he nears the end of his career.
The Brazil defender, now 36, plans on playing until he is 40 after spending time shadowing Maldini when he first joined AC Milan. In an interview with TNT Sports, he said that an example for him was AC Milan's icon and his former team-mate Paolo Maldini as he looks to extend his career into his 40s.
“Those last six months of his career were the six months when I had arrived at Milan and couldn’t play,” he recalled.
"[Carlo] Ancelotti took me to all the games. Of course he asked me to watch the team, but specifically to watch what Maldini did on and off the pitch. He was 41 already at that time."