Thiago Silva made history on Thursday night in Germany as, at the age of 41, he became the oldest footballer to make his Europa League debut.
The Brazilian centre-back, with a huge career at Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, with a total of 105 appearances in the Champions League, played for the first time in the second tier European competition in the shirt of Porto.
The Brazilian’s historic first appearance at the competition was accompanied by a great result, as the Dragons beat Stuttgart 2-1 and became favorites to advance to the quarter-finals. Faraoli’s side dominated the first half, taking a two-goal lead thanks to goals from Terem Moffi (21′) and Rodrigo Mora (27′).
Despite the Germans managing to make it 1-2 through Udaf before the break, Porto managed to coolly manage their second-half lead and take a clear advantage ahead of the second leg at Dragao.
41-year-old Thiago Silva 💙
The oldest outfield debutant in the #UEL 🍷 pic.twitter.com/TaiwvmyWyi
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 12, 2026
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