Thiago Silva. Pics/AFP 

Former Brazil captain Thiago Silva has not given up hope of reclaiming a starting berth for the national football squad during this year's FIFA World Cup in Russia. The 33-year-old centre-back has been a peripheral figure for Brazil since his handball gifted a penalty to Paraguay in the 2015 Copa America quarter-finals, which the team lost on spot kicks, reports Xinhua news agency. The current incumbents in the middle of Brazil's defence are Silva's Paris Saint-Germain teammate Marquinhos and Inter Milan's Miranda.