Chelsea defender Thiago Silva reveals when he plans to retire

“I hope I can do the same thing that Maldini did at Milan, playing until he was 40 or 41 years old,” Thiago Silva told Chelsea's official club website.

“That’s my plan for the immediate future and I have prepared myself for that.

“When you’re young, you think you’re a superhero. I’d play one game a day so in terms of recovery it was a lot quicker, whereas now 24 hours seems like no time at all in which to recover.

“You’ve always got to be active and up to speed with the new recovery methods out there. I’ve got lots of things I do at home like physio work, and nowadays I’ve got a better diet than before. You need to fuel yourself well, not with the bad stuff.

“This is part of what I’ve got to do so that I can optimise this recovery process, which for me needs to be quicker.”

Silva is 37 now, he turns 38 in December. So if he indeed plans on retiring at the age of 40 or 41, he has two or three seasons left in professional football.

The Brazilian's Chelsea contract expires in 2023 and based on his performances, the Blues should keep him until he hangs up his boots.