What doesn't kill you makes you stronger: Thiago Silva's return to the top

The center back saw his form and reputation decline after World Cup humiliation, but former Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva thinks the PSG star is back to his best.

Sometimes one can want something too badly. Thiago Silva spent every day for a year before the 2014 World Cup dreaming about winning the tournament. The thought of lifting the most prestigious prize in football in his native Brazil consumed him. The weight of expectancy eventually, almost inevitably, took its toll.

Before the Selecao's last-16 clash with Chile, Silva was so overcome with emotion that he was reduced to tears. When the game in Belo Horizonte went to penalties, the pressure proved too much for him to take. He broke…