Ageless Thiago Silva showing Chelsea the value of experience ahead of Club World Cup semi-final reunion

Thiago Silva has endured his fair share of suffering in football. As has been well-documented, he was laid low by a brutal bout of tuberculosis that didn't just halt a fledgling career, it very nearly claimed his life. The then-teenager only chose to continue after his mother pointed out that there weren't a lot of "good jobs" in his native Rio de Janeiro for a "boy from the economic reality we lived in".

However, it wasn't the difficulty involved in overcoming such a serious illness that Thiago Silva chose to draw upon when giving a team talk before Fluminense's Club World Cup quarter-final showdown with Al-Hilal. The veteran defender instead elected to discuss the pain of regret after being stunned by the death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota the day before.

"In 2014, I was playing the World Cup in Brazil," he began. "On one of our days off, I went home. My stepfather showed up... the man who made me who I am today. He was sick. I didn’t know how serious it was. I returned to the national team. Things ended how they ended. He was hospitalised. I had to go back to Paris for pre-season... After one of the first league matches, my wife called me: 'Your stepfather passed away.’

"I didn't go to see him in hospital because I thought he was going to come out. So, do you know what I'm trying to say with this? What do I mean? Don't hold back out there. Do it now, do what we can do, right now. Don't put it off, because there's no time, man.

"Enjoy the moment, enjoy it. Joyfully, but responsibly. That said, we need to finish with 11 men. Don't take this the wrong way. Be fair to the guys, but f*cking compete. You have to compete with these guys. All right? God bless us, man. Come on!"

Unsurprisingly, Thiago Silva's impassioned plea to seize the day didn't fall on deaf ears. Having previously produced the performance of their lives to beat Champions League runners-up Inter to progress to the quarter-finals, they once again overwhelmed another opponent in Al-Hilal almost through sheer force of will.

"If you had asked me beforehand if we would have got this far, I would have said we were a long way away from doing so," Thiago Silva told DAZN after the 2-1 win over the Saudi Arabians. "We know the financial size of these teams, the difference is enormous, absurd. But often our collective, the family atmosphere that we have, gives us strength that you maybe don't think you have."

However, there have never been any concerns over his character - or quality. Thiago Silva will go down as one of the best and most revered defenders of the modern era, that ideal blend of technique and tenacity, a ball-playing centre-back who has never been afraid to put his head where most people wouldn't put a shovel - as illustrated by the blood-stained nose he was left with after the win over Al-Hilal.

No wonder, then, that when he speaks, players listen. As Fluminense winger Jhon Arias said, "Thiago is a big reference in world football. He has our complete admiration and respect. He's a wonderful person, magnificent." Which also makes him a coach's dream.

It was Renato Gaucho who gave Thiago Silva his Brazil debut all the way back in 2008, so he was never going to pass up the opportunity to once again work with a player he believes is still good enough to represent Brazil at next year's World Cup. Furthermore, when the Fluminense coach says that Thiago Silva is "the coach on the pitch", he really means it.

During the shock win over Inter, the veteran defender took advantage of a cooling break to argue that Fluminense's hopes of holding onto their 1-0 lead would be best served by switching to a 5-4-1 formation. He also suggested moving Everaldo, a striker by trade, out wide, so that winger Arias could play through the middle.

Gaucho immediately agreed, and the changes worked a treat, which reflected well on both player and coach. As Thiago Silva told FIFA's official website, "I try to help in the best way possible, giving my advice. I think that's the best way I do things. But not all coaches have the humility to understand what the player feels.

"But Renato's humble side enables these things to happen. He's a very open guy, like an open book, you know? So, we have a great relationship. He's given me a lot of advice over the years, and since I came back to Fluminense. That, without doubt, improves you as a player."

Whether Thiago Silva has actually gotten better over the past year is doubtful, but there's no doubt that he's still performing at a ridiculously high level. He may not have the pace he once had, but it doesn't really show. His positional game remains as strong as ever, while he's still bossing bigger opponents in the air.

Consequently, Gaucho is doing absolutely everything he can to protect his captain's 40-year-old limbs by barely using him in training in between games. The sole focus is on ensuring that the man known as 'The Monster' since his first spell at Fluminense is always fit to play.

"Thiago Silva is a beast, a born leader and a deadly player," Gaucho said after the 2-1 win over Al-Hilal. "He's a real captain." The kind that Chelsea could certainly use right now.

Maresca has made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with the lack of leaders in the Chelsea dressing room, and admitted last season that he expected more from captain Reece James. The latter has proven more influential in the States this summer (an uninterrupted run of games has obviously helped), but even then, legitimate doubts remain going forward over whether starting centre-backs Levi Colwill or Trevoh Chalobah have the requisite qualities to build a title-winning defence around.

Of course, the versatile Colwill is still only young (22) and has a very high ceiling, but it's hard to escape the feeling that the England international, and several other members of a Chelsea squad that doesn't possess a single player over 27, would benefit enormously from the presence of a wise old head alongside them, both in the dressing room and the field.

Thiago Silva is, as Blues left-back Marc Cucurella said ahead of Tuesday's clash in New Jersey, "a legend of football", one that has been absolutely integral to Fluminense's surprise run to the last four.

"He conveys calm to the other players," Gaucho enthused last week. "He’s the captain, the leader and, in hard matches against great clubs, it's important to have a player with his profile."

It's difficult to disagree, which only makes it feel even stranger that Chelsea, of all clubs, no longer seem to appreciate the value of experience that a true captain, leader and legend can offer a team.