THIAGO SILVA’s son could snub the chance to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a Brazil legend.
Iago, 14, is eligible to represent his dad’s home country but it looks like he may take his international football career down an entirely different path.
Silva has been earning his living with Brazilian side Fluminense since last year but son Iago stayed in England to continue on at Chelsea‘s academy.
And at 14 years old he has already earned international recognition.
The teenager revealed on social media that he was invited to the latest England under-15 training camp.
A picture of him stood at St. George’s Park was captioned: “Proud moment to be invited to my first England camp. The hard work continues.”
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Residency rules allow players to represent non-birth nations if they have lived there for at least three years, providing they moved before the age of 10, or five years if they moved after turning 10.
Iago was younger than 10 when his dad signed for Chelsea in 2020, and has lived in England for five years since.
The opportunity to revert back to Brazil will be there unless Iago plays for England at a major tournament or racks up more than three competitive matches for the senior team.
Silva banked 113 caps for the Selecao, leaving him fifth on their all-time caps list.
Despite his ties to Brazil, the veteran defender previously admitted he wants to see both of his sons – Iago and Isago, another talented prospect – forge careers in England.
He said: “At every club I’ve been at, I’ve felt a lot of love from the clubs themselves and the fans, but here [at Chelsea] it feels a little bit different, because of the fact that my kids are playing in the team too.
“For me, it would be a dream to see them play professionally at Chelsea.
“I love watching them, ultimately, and I try to help them as much as I can. I love seeing my kids playing here.”
Isago, 16, is two years older than his younger brother and was recently named in Enzo Maresca’s B list squad for the Champions League win over Ajax.
