The son of a Portuguese couple, Tony was born in Le Creusot, Saône-et-Loire. After spending a decade in the youth academy of Paris Saint-Germain FC, he returned to his parents' hometown of Chaves in his teens, making his debut in professional football at the age of 20 with G.D. Chaves in the Segunda Liga and remaining four years with the club at that level.[2][3]
During his spell at Cluj, Silva quickly became a fan favourite for his strong work ethic and dedication, eventually gaining team captaincy.[5] During his stint he won six major titles, including two Liga I championships, contributing a total of 50 appearances and one goal to those conquests (32 matches in 2007–08). In the following campaign he suffered a knee ligament injury which sidelined him for several weeks, but he still recovered in time to help the club win the domestic cup for the second time in its history.[6]
On 5 May 2013, Silva scored his only goal in the Portuguese top flight, netting through a rare header to help his team defeat Sporting CP 1–0 at home and cling on to a best-ever third position, with the subsequent qualification for the UEFA Champions League.[9][10] He finished his career in 2015, following a spell with F.C. Penafiel in the same league.[11]
In October 2019, Silva left Chaves' youths[16] and joined his compatriot Toni Conceição's staff at the Cameroon national team, as a video analyst.[17] He then had a brief assistant spell with Paços de Ferreira.[18]
^Baptista Seixas, João (4 July 2017). "Tony é o novo treinador do Bragança" [Tony is the new manager of Bragança]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 9 March 2020.
^Fernandes, Márcia (23 June 2023). "Tony é o novo treinador do Montalegre" [Tony is the new manager of Montalegre]. A Voz de Trás-os-Montes (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 May 2024.