Thiago Silva almost DIED at 21

While playing for Dynamo Moscow, the Brazilian was diagnosed with a near-fatal case of tuberculosis. He spent five months in the hospital, receiving 3-4 injections a day and taking over 10-15 pills, barely able to move. Doctors suggested removing part of his lung — a surgery that would’ve ended his football career. But his family refused.

The most chilling part? He would’ve died if admitted just two weeks later. Just when it seemed like Thiago’s football journey was ending in a Russian hospital, his former coach Ivo Wortmann stepped in, arranging treatment in Portugal that saved his life. After his recovery, the Brazilian, still not sure, was hesitant to pull on his football boots again. But his mother convinced him to return to football, and the rest is history.

Captain of Brazil, a Champions League winner with Chelsea, and now, at 40, he just captained his boyhood club Fluminense to the semi-finals of the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup.