"Thank you for all you've done for me" - Chelsea star Reece James sends heartfelt birthday message to teammate Thiago Silva

Chelsea defender Thiago Silva celebrated his birthday yesterday (September 23), and people across the football world wished him on the special day, including teammate Reece James.

Silva turned 39 and is officially the oldest player in the Chelsea squad. Despite his age, Silva shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and has been playing at the top level for the past decade.

Chelsea captain James sent a heartfelt message to Silva on his birthday this Friday on his Instagram story. Reece thanked his teammate for his support on and off the pitch.

“My brother, we’ve been through highs and lows, thank you for all you’ve done for me. Happy birthday big bro," James wrote.

Silva also received a special gift from his former club Paris Saint-Germain, which was the side's home jersey with the defender's name printed on the back. He left the club in 2020 for Chelsea and has maintained excellent relations with the Ligue 1 giants.

On the jersey were signatures of several players who had played with Silva.

Why isn't Thiago Silva Chelsea's captain?

The Blues have already had three captains in the new season. Initially, Reece James was the side's captain but due to his injury in the season's opening game, Ben Chilwell and Conor Gallagher have also worn the armband.

However, many fans were shocked as Thiago Silva, a veteran, the first choice for captaincy, wasn't given the responsibility. Having turned 39 this week, the Brazilian has had over a decade more experience than any other player from the team.

Pochettino recently talked about the captaincy and said that Thiago doesn't need an armband because of how much experience he brings to the squad. The Chelsea boss said (via GOAL):

"I explain the truth like always. For me, it was nominating Reece, I think is the perfect captain of course, and then an English player with experience is Chilly [Chilwell]. And then I think Thiago is because of experience; today is his birthday, 39, and I think he is an experienced player that doesn’t need the armband and then I think it’s important to build something for the future."

"Not only the present but the future. He is there and a captain is not only to put the armband on your arm. To clarify, I think maybe it was Thiago give to Enzo but Enzo is still struggling with his English."

Pochettino also stated that Conor Gallagher would be a good captain because he is good at English and can communicate with the referees.