Football

Thiago Silva sets new Chelsea record with Man City goal

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3w ago

Nov 14, 2023 / 5927 Views

Thiago Silva is the brand new owner of one of Chelsea's all-time records following his goal in the club's 4-4 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Brazilian centre-back cancelled out Erling Haaland's opening goal in the first half, with the lead swinging back and forth until Cole Palmer scored a 94th minute penalty against his former club to ensure that the points would be shared at the end of a pulsating contest.

Silva joined Chelsea in 2020 shortly before turning 36 but has clocked up more than 120 appearances in just over three years at Stamford Bridge since.

His age is why Sunday's goal against Manchester City was so significant. At 39 years, one month and 21 days, Silva is now the oldest player ever to score for Chelsea. It broke a record that had stood for 76 years, dating back to 1947 when former England international Dick Spence found the net aged 38.

Thiago Silva is a Chelsea history-maker / Robin Jones/GettyImages

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Spence was at Chelsea for 15 years all told, but his career, like every player of his generation, was put on hold for seven years from to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 until regular league football resumed 15 months after the 1945 ceasefire.

Silva already held the record as Chelsea's oldest goalscorer in the Premier League era. The previous record was set by Stamford Bridge legend Didier Drogba from 2015 aged 37 and 49 days. Silva surpassed that by finding the net against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2022, which also happened to be his last Chelsea goal until the City Game this past weekend.

Silva is now fourth on the Premier League's all-time list of oldest goalscorers too, with only Teddy Sheringham, Dean Windass and Ryan Giggs netting at a greater age. He could go ahead of Giggs and Windass this season, but to beat Sheringham's record would take an astonishing feat of longevity.

All-time oldest Premier League goalscorers

Player	Club	Age	Date
Teddy Sheringham	West Ham Utd	40 years, 8 months, 24 days	26 Dec 2006
Dean Windass	Hull City	39 years, 7 months, 21 days	22 Nov 2008
Ryan Giggs	Man Utd	39 years, 2 months, 25 days	23 Feb 2013
Thiago Silva	Chelsea	39 years, 1 month, 21 days	12 Nov 2023
Stuart Pearce	West Ham Utd	38 years, 7 months, 1 day	25 Nov 2000
Graham Alexander	Burnley	38 years, 6 months, 0 days	10 Apr 2010
Mark Hughes	Blackburn Rovers	38 years, 4 months, 26 days	30 Mar 2002
Tugay Kerimoglu	Blackburn Rovers	38 years, 3 months, 6 days	30 Nov 2008
Mick Harford	Wimbledon	38 years, 1 month, 6 days	18 Mar 1997
Gary Speed	Bolton Wanderers	37 years, 11 months, 17 days	25 Aug 2007