THIAGO SILVA was spotted in tears as he attended his final awards ceremony at Chelsea.

The much-loved Brazilian had been announced as a Fluminese player just hours earlier.

The 39-year-old defender will return to the Brazilian club after confirming his exit from Chelsea.

Silva was announced as a Fluminense player on social media with the tagline "The monster is back" before the Blues announced that he will link up with the team early and leave after the final game of the season.

He then joined a number of his team-mates and stars from the Chelsea women’s team and academy in the Great Hall at Stamford Bridge tonight for the club’s end of season awards night.

Unsurprisingly, it was Cole Palmer that was the evening’s big winner.

The England international has scored 24 goals and provided 13 assists since his £42.5m move from Manchester City last summer.

And his displays earned him both the Men's Players' Player of the Year and Player of the Year prizes.

But there was also a point in the night when Silva was brought up on stage, and it did not take long for his emotions to get the better of him.

A supporter in attendance at the bash in West London shared footage shot on their phone that showed the fan-favourite wiping tears from his face while receiving a round of applause.

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

It is not the first time that the star has broke down as he was also in tears when confirming his exit from Chelsea in an emotional video that was released in April.

Silva was signed by former boss Frank Lampard from PSG.

He went on to win the Champions League with Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel in 2021 and then added the Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup.

He is a firm favourite with the Stamford Bridge faithful but his outspoken wife Isabelle has given current head coach Mauricio Pochettino a hard time in recent months with her criticism of the team and the tactics.

But he is still finding it a tough choice to depart despite admitting that he did not expect to enjoy such success at the club.

He said: “When I started here, it was during the pandemic so there wasn’t any fans in the stadium.

“But through social media, it became something very special to me and then when the fans started coming back to the stadium and life was getting back to normal, I started to feel a lot of affection and respect for my story and for my start here.

“The way in which I came to the club, with the support of the club, I got to the club as a leader even though I didn’t feel like it, having arrived as the new guy.

“It’s always difficult to integrate but bit by bit I became part of the group and Lampard played a big part in that. I am grateful to him for that.

“Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I could achieve such great things and win one of the best professional titles, the Champions League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“Goodbyes are for those that leave and don’t come back. I intend on coming back one day.”

His new team-mates will include the likes of former Real Madrid star Marcelo, ex-Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa and Marquinhos who is on loan from Arsenal.