Chelsea defender Malo Gusto lauds Blues’ veteran Thiago Silva as his inspiration
Chelsea star Malo Gusto has singled out Thiago Silva as the Blues defender he looks up to the most for his consistent performances. Gusto lauded his veteran teammate while discussing life at Chelsea and his first France call-up in a recent interview with RMC Sport.
The 20-year-old right-back praised Thiago Silva‘s professionalism and intense focus which keeps him playing at the highest level. He also described how Silva’s unrelenting work ethic sets an example for the rest of the squad.
“He’s one of the greatest defenders in the world. He’s always on top, focused on what he’s doing. Seeing that he’s always giving it his all is something that’s beautiful and inspires me a lot.”
Since arriving from Lyon in the summer, Malo Gusto has seized opportunities due to Reece James‘ injury issues. Chelsea skipper James’ injuries have provided Gusto with regular opportunities in the starting eleven.
Gusto admitted he engages in “really healthy competition” with Rnglish international James for the right-back spot. But off the pitch, Chelsea’s full-backs support each other, evidenced by James’ guidance for his understudy. He also commented on how he gets along well with his new teammates Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Malang Sarr, Benoît Badiashile, Lesley Ugochukwu, and Christopher Nkunku.
Silva is a role model for Chelsea’s young bloods
While Gusto competes with his club teammate for minutes, he looks to Silva as the perfect model of consistency and dedication to emulate.
At 39 years old, Silva continues excelling through meticulous preparation and focus. His level continues to showcase a high level despite his age and he is more or less our leader at the back. Ever since his transfer from PSG in 2020 as a free agent, Silva has played 125 matches for the Blues and has impressed under numerous managers.
Chelsea are currently going through a transitional period under manager Mauricio Pochettino where they have given precedence to nurturing young talents into world-class stars. In doing so they let go of seasoned veterans like Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, and Kalidou Koulibaly but they retained Silva. So the Brazilian is the only experienced veteran the younglings can hope to learn from. Given where Gusto is at in his career, he could not have picked a better role model.
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For a young player like Gusto looking to establish himself at the highest level, Silva represents an ideal mentor. His wealth of experience and unrelenting standards accelerate Gusto’s development. The French international will hope to translate the knowledge gained from Silva into his own rapid growth. Gusto has lofty aspirations, but Silva’s influence gives him the perfect blueprint to achieve them.