David Silva

David Josué Jiménez Silva (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played mainly as a central or an attacking midfielder but also played as a winger or second striker.

His passing ability and possession-retaining qualities earned him the nicknames Merlin (reference to the legendary wizard Merlin) and El Mago from his teammates and fans.

He is considered one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and one of Manchester City's greatest ever players.

Silva spent seven years of his professional career with Valencia, playing from 2004 to 2010, and won the Copa del Rey in 2008.

A product of Valencia's youth system, Silva made his professional debut in 2004–05, with Segunda División's Eibar, while on loan from Valencia, playing 35 league games and scoring on five occasions.

In the following season, he was again out on loan, this time to Celta de Vigo, where he played 34 matches, scoring four goals.

After two late substitute appearances, the first in a 2–0 home win over Málaga on 28 August 2005, Silva finished as an undisputed starter as the Galician side reached the UEFA Cup straight from the second-tier.

Silva represented Spain, from his debut for the senior team in 2006 until his international retirement in 2018.

Silva returned to Valencia in the summer of 2006, becoming an automatic first-choice despite his young age of 20.

In two seasons combined, he only missed six matches and netted 14 goals, his first league goal coming on 5 November 2006 in a 1–1 draw at Espanyol.

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.

In August 2008, he extended his contract by five years, amidst interest of several Premier League teams.

He won the Copa del Rey 2008, his first title in Spain.

After not appearing in the first three months of 2008–09 due to a chronic ankle ailment, Silva returned to the call-ups in mid-December.

Manchester City had previously tried to sign Silva and his Valencia teammate David Villa in 2008, but were put off when Valencia quoted a £135 million combined price tag on both players.

City manager Roberto Mancini mainly deployed Silva as a winger and later in a trequartista role in his first season.

On 3 January 2009, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win over Atlético Madrid, still contributing with 19 matches (four goals) as the Che qualified for the Europa League.

In the 2009–10 season, Silva scored a career-best eight goals, as Valencia finished in third position and returned to the UEFA Champions League.

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 youngest player to reach 200 wins in the Premier League.

On 15 April 2010, he scored a brace against Athletic Bilbao for a 2–0 home win, adding three assists in the 4–4 thriller at Werder Bremen for the Europa League's round of 16.

On 30 June 2010, Manchester City announced that they had reached an agreement with Valencia over the transfer of Silva and that he would join the club on a four-year deal, prior to the start of the 2010–11 season.

On 14 July, the Premier League side completed the signing and Silva was awarded the number 21 shirt, the same number he wore for Valencia and when playing for Spain.

Silva made his Premier League debut on 14 August 2010 in a 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

He scored his first goal for the club on 16 September, eight minutes into the Europa League group match against Red Bull Salzburg.

On 17 October, he scored his first league goal in a game against Blackpool, netting City's third goal in a 3–2 away win.

He received three consecutive Manchester City Player of the Month awards from October to December 2010.

Following his debut season in the Premier League, Silva emerged as one of the league's finest playmakers.

Carlos Tevez lauded him as "the best signing we [Manchester City] have made."

Silva finished the 2010–11 campaign with four goals and seven assists in 35 league appearances.

Silva began the 2011–12 season in fine form, scoring the third goal in City's 4–0 thrashing of Swansea City and was voted man of the match.

One of 13 Spanish players to have amassed 100 caps, Silva scored 35 goals for Spain, making him the 4th highest goalscorer in their history, and also provided 29 assists, making him the second-highest assist provider in their history.

David Silva was born in Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, to Fernando Jiménez, a former municipal police officer who eventually was responsible for the safety of the Valencia CF stadium and Eva Silva.

His father, Fernando, is Spanish (Canarian) while his mother, Eva, is of Japanese descent, claimed by the Canarian media.

David Silva began playing football in the youth team of UD San Fernando, near Maspalomas.

Originally, he played as a goalkeeper, before becoming a winger and mirrored his game around his footballing idol as a youth, Michael Laudrup.

When he was 14, he received an offer to become a youth player at Valencia CF, which he accepted.

He stayed in Valencia's youth set-up until he was 17.

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.