David Silva

Lore & Background

Silva spent seven years of his professional career with Valencia, playing from 2004 to 2010, and won the Copa del Rey in 2008. In the summer of 2010, he moved to Manchester City and appeared in over 400 matches for the club, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups. Silva was also named in the PFA Team of the Year three times and is the quickest player to reach 200 wins in the Premier League. He left Manchester City in 2020 after a ten-year tenure and returned to La Liga with Real Sociedad, where he won his second Copa del Rey in 2020. Later on, he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during preseason training with Real Sociedad, which forced him to retire in July 2023.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the Etihad hummed their low, electric note. It was the 73rd minute, the score 1-1, and the away team had parked two buses in front of their box. Silva received the ball just inside the halfway line, his back to goal, two defenders shadowing him. He didn't turn. He simply shifted his weight, let the ball roll off his right foot, rolled it back, and in that half-second the nearest defender committed. Silva was gone. Three steps. Two defenders. A pass that slipped through the channel like a needle through silk, finding Agüero already in motion. The goal was clinical, inevitable, the kind of finish that made the crowd roar as if the assist had been the harder part. Silva didn't celebrate. He just nodded, tapped his chest once, and jogged back to mark. The blue end of the stadium was still shaking.

Reader's Guide

Silva represented Spain, from his debut for the senior team in 2006 until his international retirement in 2018. He formed a midfield partnership with Xavi and Andrés Iniesta which led to three consecutive international tournament victories – UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2012. One of 13 Spanish players to have amassed 100 caps, Silva scored 35 goals for Spain, making him the 5th highest goalscorer in their history, and also provided 29 assists, making him the second-highest assist provider in their history.

Did You Know?

• Silva was born in Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, to a Spanish father and a mother of Japanese heritage.
• He began his youth career as a goalkeeper before becoming a winger, idolizing Michael Laudrup.
• Silva is the quickest player to reach 200 wins in the Premier League.
• He turned down Barcelona and Real Madrid to sign for Manchester City in 2010.