Thiago Silva: "I didn't want to leave PSG"
Winning trophies, and not his own future, was the focus for Paris Saint-Germain's Thiago Silva at his media duties on Thursday.
Thiago Silva insists that does not want to leave Paris Saint-Germain but says now is not the right time to discuss his impending exit. The Brazilian centre-back agreed to remain with the Ligue 1 champions for the upcoming Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue finals, as well as the resumption of PSG's Champions League campaign next month, despite it being confirmed last month he will depart at the end of the season.
Veteran Silva has established himself as a club legend since arriving from Milan in 2012 and has featured over 300 times for the Ligue 1 giants. He had a farewell of sorts in a 4-0 friendly win over Celtic at the Parc des Princes this week but the 35-year-old was keen for the focus to remain on the team's ambitions for trophies and not his future.
Now's not the moment to talk about my future - Thiago Silva
"It's a special moment for me. With the supporters, we have always had a lot of respect. They asked if I could stay, but it's not my decision. Now is not the time to talk about this topic," he told a news conference ahead of Friday's Coupe de France final against Saint-Etienne. "We will have time to talk about it later. I didn't want to leave, but the decision has already been made. I respect [the decision] and will respect it until the end. There are no further discussions [about my future]. Leonardo [PSG's sporting director] has already spoken to the press. I don't want you to talk about this just yet. I understand the topic, your urge to know what's going on, but now is not the time to talk about it."
Coach Thomas Tuchel echoed a similar message, adding: "I can understand that you want to talk about this, but now is not the time. "He's my captain, he's super reliable. I have said this many times. It is important that he is here for the finals, and for Lisbon in the Champions League. Then we talk about all this."