Silva gained his nickname ‘O Monstro’ – Portuguese for monster – because of his imposing playing style but could easily have earned the moniker through his comeback story.
Growing up in the Campo Grande favelas in Rio de Janeiro and being abandoned by his father at the age of five, the pathway to becoming one of the 21st century’s greatest centre-backs has not been straightforward.
A route into European football came for Silva as he left second-tier Juventude to join Porto in 2004, aged 20, beginning in the Portuguese club’s B team.
However, during a reserve trip to Thailand, the defender began to feel ill with cold-like symptoms.
In the days that followed, he agreed a loan move to Dynamo Moscow but, after only a handful of sessions, Silva struggled to breathe or perform even basic tasks.
He was hospitalised and diagnosed with tuberculosis. Doctors informed him that if he had waited just two more weeks at home rather than seeking medical help, he could have died.
Silva was stable but not responding to treatment and isolated in a Moscow facility for six months due to the contagious nature of the disease.
He was finally able to return to Portugal and, after a further six months, was cured.
That year out of football was a major setback, in footballing terms, and Silva returned to Brazil, joining Fluminense to rebuild his career.
His return to Europe after two and a half years saw him become one of the world’s best at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, ultimately seeing him earn 113 caps for Brazil.
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