After an incredible, both club and national team career, David Silva is forced to say goodbye to football. At the age of 37, the Spanish midfielder hadn’t lost the magic that earned him the nickname Merlin or El Mago. However, an anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained during the preseason, unfortunately, put a stop to his 19-year playing career.
Outstanding Career
David Silva started his long career at Valencia CF youth club, where he stayed until he was 17. He made his professional debut in 2004/05 on loan at Eibar, in the Segunda Division. In the next season, he was in Celta de Vigo, where he played 34 matches and scored four goals.
He finally returned to Valencia in 2006, and easily became the first choice despite being only 20 at the time. In his 119 appearances for Valencia, he scored 21 goals. Finally, he made the most important move of this career when he joined Manchester City in 2010.
What made him stand out were his passing range and technical ability. He spent ten years with the Cityzens, and became one of the most important players for the Sky Blues. Pep hailed Silva as one of the crucial players responsible for City’s success.
In his ten years at City, he scored 60 goals in 309 appearances. However, he was more notorious as a playmaker, holding several records for assists. He is currently 7th of all-time in the Premier League with 93 assists. As proof of his high quality, he holds four Premier League titles, five League Cups, and two FA Cups.
The year he joined the Blues, he had just won the World Cup with Spain. Furthermore, he also won two European Championships in 2008 and 2012.
Summit of his Career
After an incredible stint at City, David Silva returned to Spain and joined Real Sociedad in 2020. Despite the long career, Silva continued in the same fashion and helped Txuri-Urdinak take their first major trophy since 1987. David lifted his second Cope Del Rey title and his 16th trophy overall. Unfortunately, he ended his career in July 2023 after a terrible ACL knee injury.
Final Goodbye
David Silva announced his retirement from football with a simple yet heartbreaking message on social media. El Mago dedicated most of his life to playing football. While he was happy to be doing what he loved, he was very sad to see it end.
As a tribute to his outstanding career in City, the club has created a statue of Silva on the east side of the Etihad Stadium. At the same time, he has received numerous praises from many colleagues. For example, Pep Guardiola and Joleon Lescott state Silva is one of the greatest players in the Premier League.
