Noni Madueke has shared a dressing room with some superb individuals during his first two years at Chelsea, and he’s just named one of them as the best he’s ever played with.
Noni Madueke, 22, is currently an important part of a young and exciting Chelsea squad. The right-winger’s been at Stamford Bridge during a big period of change, though.
The Blues finished sixth and 12th in the previous two Premier League campaigns. If you compare that to this season, Enzo Maresca’s side are currently second in the division as the midway point approaches.
Madueke is making a positive impact in attack so far this season, scoring six goals and creating four assists in 20 games across all competitions. However, Micah Richards says Chelsea’s Madueke can improve by becoming a bit calmer whenever he’s in front of goal.
Thiago Silva of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Noni Madueke of Chelsea during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round matc...
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Noni Madueke names Chelsea favourite Thiago Silva as his greatest teammate
Chelsea supporters may be fascinated to hear Madueke share that Thiago Silva is the best player he’s ever played with.
Many may have expected to hear Cole Palmer’s name mentioned. The Englishman has scored 36 goals in 64 appearances for the Blues since he joined the club. However, Madueke has paid tribute to a defensive colossus.
Silva, who’s now aged 40, spent four brilliant seasons with Chelsea before leaving in the summer of 2024. Remarkably, the veteran centre-back is still playing in his native Brazil with Fluminense.
“The best player I’ve played with, I’d probably have to give it to Thiago Silva,” Madueke told Amazon Prime Video Sport.
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“The guy’s unbelievable. I used to go against him in training sometimes and think this man’s double my age. He can still take the ball off me. I think I’m pretty good with the ball at my feet, so it was just mad. Obviously his leadership as well. Just his ability. Like the things he was doing in training, his technique and stuff, unbelievable.
“He’s a great captain figure. With me he was always perfect with me. Always encouraged me since I got here. He was a great player and a great leader. A great person to have around.”
Despite the fact Chelsea got the version of Silva towards the latter stages of his career, he still made a gigantic impact in west London. He finally won the Champions League as a Blues player, too.
Ian Wright has urged Chelsea to sign a profile like Silva, but that won’t be very easy to find in the transfer market.
Team Appearances Goals Trophies
Brazil 113 7 2
Paris Saint-Germain 315 17 25
Chelsea 155 9 3
Fluminense 137 13 1
AC Milan 119 6 2
Esporte Clube Juventude 29 3 0
Thiago Silva’s career so far for club and country
Who’s filling the Thiago Silva void at Chelsea?
Silva’s summer exit at Chelsea certainly left a major hole at Chelsea. First, the Blues lost a top-quality central defender. They also waved goodbye to a leader with tremendous experience, too.
In fairness, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana have stepped up for large parts of the season as the first-choice pairing at centre-back.
In terms of replacing Silva’s leadership, Tosin Adarabioyo is perhaps beginning to step into the shoes. At the age of 27, Tosin is one of the more experienced headers in camp and can help a young group.
Samuel Rak-Sakyi has described Chelsea’s Tosin as a “real leader” after explaining the centre-half has helped a lot of the club’s youngsters with the transition into the first-team environment.
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