Marco Alexandre Saraiva da Silva was born on July 12th, 1977, in Lisbon, Portugal.
Once described as a ‘football maniac’ and widely praised for his communication skills as a manager, as well as having a forensic attention to detail, Silva first displayed these traits as a player.
His passion for the game meant he always put a shift in, admired for his work ethic as an industrious right-back for a number of different Portuguese clubs.
His communication skills resulted in the player gaining the captain’s armband across the latter half of his 15-year playing career.
His attention to detail had him research forthcoming opponents, learning a winger’s strengths and weaknesses before facing him.
Regrettably, the proud Lisboeta was somewhat limited in actual ability, playing only two matches in the Primeira Liga and elsewhere finding himself on the periphery of proceedings, or competing in the lower leagues.
That all changed however when he hung up his boots and made the switch to the dug-out. At his first club, Estoril, he performed miracles, an overachievement that made him a much sought after coach.
In 2014 he took on the poisoned chalice that was Sporting CP, winning the Lions their first trophy for seven years but that wasn’t enough to avoid the sack.
There followed stints at Olympiacos, Hull, Watford and Everton, all short-lasting, and if there was a criticism of Silva it was that he was a managerial itinerant, never really settling at any one club.
That view has now been resigned to the past, the 48-year-old entering his fifth season with Fulham in the top-flight having led them to promotion in his first year.
Firmly established as a Premier League manager of note, Silva’s stock is high, while his bank balance is flourishing.
How much is Marco Silva worth?
Declining a Saudi windfall in 2023 did not only highlight Silva’s commitment to Fulham. It revealed too that he was already an extremely wealthy man.
At Everton he was furnished with £3m a year in wages as well as bonuses. The final 18 months of his contract was paid out to him in full on being sacked.
At Fulham he is reported to be on £4m a year with £500,000 a year in bonuses should he keep the Cottagers in the Premier League. He has done so now for three seasons running.
Factor in a bumper bonus for guiding Olympiacos to a Super League title and a substantial pay-off from Sporting and the Fulham manager’s net worth easily exceeds £12m.
Playing Career
Silva made his professional debut aged 19 at Belenenses but failed to make an impact at the Lisbon club, moving on soon after.
It was a similar tale at nearby Atletico, despite the Wagoners playing at a lower level. Making just six first-team appearances, the youngster’s career was in danger of stalling before it even got going.
Betting on himself, Silva requested a transfer to Trofense and in the third tier he thrived, even securing a short loan stint with Campomaiorense in the Portuguese top-flight.
There followed spells at Rio Ave, Braga B, Salgueiros, and Odivelas. In 2005 he returned to his beloved Lisbon, playing out the final six years of his playing career with Estoril.
Though the club – whose full name translates as ‘Estoril Seashore’ – had seen better days, having plummeted through the divisions, Silva was extremely happy there. He was home.
Manager
On retirement, Silva was appointed Director of Football at Estoril but it wasn’t long before he pivoted to the dug-out, losing his first game in charge but thereafter transforming the club’s fortunes on the pitch.
Overcoming the tricky prospect of managing players he had so recently called team-mates, Silva led the club back to the Primeira Liga, embarking on a 15-match unbeaten streak that ultimately saw him awarded Manager of the Year for the division.
Yet with just 1000 fans coming through the gates, and a £1m budget that was a pittance compared to their peers, the newbie coach had a formidable challenge ahead just to keep the Canaries up.
Not only did Silva meet that requirement, he made a mockery of it, getting the best out of players such as Jefferson, Steven Vitoria, and Evandro and guiding the small outfit to a remarkable fifth place finish. The seasonafter, fourth spot was secured, with a famous victory at Porto and a draw at Benfica achieved along the way.
Heads were now being turned and Silva was in high demand eventually agreeing to join Sporting, a giant in perpetual crisis.
Run by Bruno de Carvalho, a club president often compared to Donald Trump, managers swiftly came and went there and not even winning the Taca de Portugal saved him from the sack for having the temerity to finish third in the league.
A year in Greece with Olympiacos came next, Silva winning a league title at the first time of asking only to then leave the following summer, citing personal reasons.
A few months respite offered him the opportunity to take stock, and hone his managerial skills.
Naturally, Silva wasn’t jobless for long, Hull City making an approach in January 2017. Rock-bottom of the Premier League and hot favourites in the football betting to drop, the Tigers’ cause looked to be a hopeless one and indeed that proved to be the case. They were relegated that May.
In stepped Watford, and here it gets a little messy for Silva because, after initially impressing at Vicarage Road, it took only a matter of months before another switch beckoned, with Everton making an approach that clearly interested the coach and clearly too, effected team results.
By January the Hornets admitted defeat, accepting £4m in compensation from the Toffees.
Silva was at Goodison Park for 18 months all told, a highlight being a 4-0 drubbing over Manchester United though an eighth place finish is also not to be sniffed at. A heavy Merseyside derby defeat saw him sacked late into 2019.
Overall, Silva’s subsequent tenure at Fulham can be deemed a success, though it’s a story with chapters still to be written.
After getting the Cottagers promoted in 2022, he has stabilised the club, brought in quality of the ilk of Willian (now departed) and Alex Iwobi, and turned them into a very watchable and decent side.
In 2025 they attained their highest ever Premier League points tally while nothing better illustrates how settled Silva is by the Thames than the decision he made 12 months prior.
On turning down an offer from Saudi club Al-Ahli – said to be worth £40m over two years – he has demonstrated that his itinerant days are over.
