AC Milan: Why Thiago Silva's Retention Shows Commitment to Winning

AC Milan and Brazil defender, Thiago Silva, has had an eventful summer. After rumours, suggestions, agent chatter and plenty more, Silva was eventually the target of a world record transfer bid for a defender—and AC Milan rejected it out of hand.

The current record stands at a little over £29 million (€36 million, $45 million), which Manchester United paid for Rio Ferdinand. Paris Saint-Germain topped that, sending a mammoth offer of £37.5 million to AC Milan to add Silva to the expensively-assembled squad already at the disposition of manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Soon after the start of the season, Thiago Silva will turn 28 years of age. His sale value has never been higher.

And yet Milan turned the bid down.

Madness? Or an unshakeable belief that, above all else—even vast funds from player sales—AC Milan need to retain their best players to lift trophies?

Almost surely, in this case at least, it is the latter.

Milan could have invested a third of the proceeds from the sale of Thiago Silva and landed themselves a fine, top class and much younger centre-back.

Instead, they chose continuity and faith in their own player. They remain stoical in the belief that a team built around the likes of Silva can help them land the game's bigger prizes, such as the Serie A title which they have won just once in the past eight years.

Since making his competitive debut for Milan in the 2009-10 season, Thiago Silva has been an integral part of the Rossoneri defence.

In his three seasons at the club, he has already totalled well over a century of appearances. The club have signalled just how important he is to their future plans by not only rejecting the offer for him—but also awarding him a new contract.

Arguably coming up to his prime years now, Silva will be at Milan until 2017 under the terms of his current contract, taking him up to 32 years of age. Compared to the likes of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta, that is still almost a rookie age for a Milan defender.

Silva has risen to prominence since joining his current club, and he has also become an established first choice for his county, Brazil under Mano Menezes. He will take part in the 2012 London Olympics this summer as one of the overage players for his country, along with Hulk of FC Porto and Marcelo of Real Madrid.

Milan will go into the new season looking to reaffirm their status at the top of Italian football, having been beaten by just four points to the title last season by Juventus.

With Thiago Silva definitely being in place for the seasons ahead, they have that bit more chance of reaching the trophies they so desperately crave.

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