Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has thanked fans for voting him the club's Player of the Year.
The Brazil international, 38, has just completed his third season with the Blues.
"It was a very emotional moment for me, especially because in spite of the bad season we have had, fans still wanted to show me their support," Thiago told chelseafc.com.
"It's been a hard year, so the recognition fills me with happiness, pride and pleasure for being part of this team.
"From my first day here, I have been warmly welcomed by Chelsea fans and so my commitment is even greater than before because I know we need to respond to them with better performances on the pitch and give them the response they deserve.
"At one point we were all fans and we know what it feels like to love the players in a team, and how the supporters suffer,' he continues.
"So we recognise that it's not easy for them to show that love in moments like this. I want to say that it's important to recognise that if we were in this particular situation in another country, we would likely not receive the love we have received here at Chelsea. We'd probably be received with bad language or abuse, but we didn't get that here, and it shows the love that the fans have for us."
He also said: "My relationship with the Chelsea supporters is hard to put into words.
"It was love at first sight. I feel really happy here. It's not easy to come to a new club with not much time on your contract at the beginning and be applauded from the beginning, shown so much love. It just goes to show how successful my career has been – I'm really proud to be at Chelsea and I just want them to continue to be successful.
"It feels particularly amazing when they are able to applaud us knowing that the situation is not great, but not fully understanding because they can't imagine what we're going through. So it's important that we show our gratitude for that.
"Things obviously haven't happened the way we wanted them to this season. It's the hardest season I can remember having and it's been really tough for me this year. I'm just thinking about looking forward towards a better future."
