There were only two candidates I had to pick from for my Chelsea player of the season. One was Antonio Rudiger, who will leave the club after his best in blue, transforming from a once inconsistent figure into one of the squad's best.
The other, which is my choice, is Thiago Silva – who has continued to defy logic with his levels of consistency at the highest levels despite nearing the age of 40 in one of the most physically demanding leagues in world football.
I was one of those who initially doubted his arrival from PSG in the summer of 2020. Worrying about the pace of the game, the struggles of older defenders coming into the league late in their career and how much he could actually be relied upon.
