Who is Isabelle da Silva? Thiago Silva's controversial wife who called Timo Werner a 'maggot'
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 2 Oct 2023 13:50 BST
- 13 min read
Thiago Silva’s wife, Belle Silva, has been particularly outspoken about Chelsea’s issues on the pitch since her husband joined the club in 2020.
The Blues, of course, won the Champions League during Thiago Silva’s first season at the club, but they failed to build on that success, culminating in a 12th place finish during the 2022-23 Premier League season.
While many spouses choose to remain fairly tight-lipped about football, preferring to stay away from the limelight, the same can’t be said for Belle Silva.
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She is an active presence on social media, on both Instagram and Twitter (X), and is regularly seen posting about Chelsea online.
Her social media following is huge; Belle has amassed over 700k followers on Instagram and over 150k followers on Twitter. As a result, she is one of the most influential spouses in football.
Belle does not shy away from the spotlight and has instead preferred to actively criticise Chelsea on multiple occasions.
READ MORE: Chelsea stars singled out for criticism over lack of leadership
Timo Werner is a “maggot”
Timo Werner struggled during his time at Chelsea and while he helped the Blues win the 2021 Champions League, the German failed to live up to the hype and was sold back to RB Leipzig in 2022.
Before he left, however, he felt the wrath of Belle Silva. Werner scored just four Premier League goals during his second and final campaign at Chelsea, which led to Belle reportedly calling him a "verme", which means "maggot" in Portuguese.
Graham Potter criticism
Belle is not only public about her own opinions, but she has also been seen ‘liking’ tweets that condemn Chelsea in the past.
The most notable example was when she liked a tweet criticising then-manager Graham Potter.
She was asked by Twitter account @Mudryk254: “Can you ask [Thiago] Silva to coach our club himself because we have a deadbeat tacticless coach who doesn't know what he is doing. He doesn't even understand that is Chelsea football club - he thinks he is still at Brighton."
This tweet was ‘liked’ by Belle in February 2023 and Potter was sacked not long afterwards following a poor run of results.
Chelsea fan complaints
Chelsea supporters were heard booing the team at Stamford Bridge during a 1-0 loss to Manchester City in January 2023, something that didn’t sit well with Belle.
Thiago Silva’s wife posted a video of the boos with the caption: “Don’t come to Stamford Bridge if you’re not singing COME ON CHELSEA !!! #blueisthecolour @ChelseaFC @tsilva3.”
Thiago Silva propaganda
While Belle is more than happy to criticise Chelsea, Thiago’s team-mates and the coaching staff, she always remains loyal to her husband.
In January 2023, after Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Fulham, Belle posted: “If there was a @tsilva3 in attack and one in midfield, with what we already have in defence..." It was a statement that many Blues fans agreed with in the replies.
That was not the first time Belle had taken to social media to question the Blues.
After the Blues’ draw against Everton in March 2023, Belle posted on Twitter: “Missing @tsilva3 on the field… #goblues #chelsea.”
In August 2022, the day of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur and the infamous handshake between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte, Belle took to Twitter to ask why her husband was not featured more prevalently at Chelsea’s ground.
She tweeted: “Today I went to Stamford Bridge and I noticed that the photos changed around the stadium. But I don't see a photo of @tsilva3 anywhere. Why @ChelseaFC?”
Furthermore, during Chelsea’s 4-1 loss to Brentford in 2021-22, Belle posted on Instagram: “I'm here in my box at Stamford Bridge. I just listened right now to the commentator, who said that Thiago Silva is not attacking enough.
"Respect Thiago Silva because Thiago Silva arrived yesterday, Thiago Silva played for Brazil, Thiago Silva is very tired, Thiago Silva is 37 years old, he plays like he is 20 years old.
"So respect him, he's not a machine. He needs to relax, alright?"
Belle also posted her affection for Thiago when he squared up to Daniel Amartey, then of Leicester City. The defender was seen mocking Chelsea after the Foxes’ FA Cup final win in 2021, by throwing the Blues’ pendant on the floor at Wembley.
During their next meeting, a brawl took place on the pitch with Amartey and Thiago Silva at the heart of it. Belle posted: “That’s right @tsilva3 show who's boss.”
When did Thiago and Belle Silva get married?
The pair reportedly began dating in the early 2000s before marrying in 2005. Thiago was 20 years old at the time, while Belle was just 18.
How many children do Thiago and Belle Silva have?
Thiago and Belle Silva have two sons - Isago and Iago. Isago was born in 2008, and plays for Chelsea’s youth academy, while Iago was born in 2011.
