David Silva

David Silva

Silva in 2017
Personal information
Full name	David Josué Jiménez Silva[1]
Date of birth	(1986-01-08) 8 January 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Arguineguín, Spain
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1995–2000	San Fernando
2000–2003	Valencia
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2004	Valencia B	14	(1)
2004–2010	Valencia	119	(21)
2004–2005	→ Eibar (loan)	35	(4)
2005–2006	→ Celta (loan)	34	(4)
2010–2020	Manchester City	309	(60)
2020–2023	Real Sociedad	74	(6)
Total		585	(96)
International career
2001–2002	Spain U16	6	(2)
2002–2003	Spain U17	20	(5)
2004–2005	Spain U19	14	(5)
2005	Spain U20	5	(4)
2004–2006	Spain U21	9	(7)
2006–2018	Spain	125	(35)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain FIFA World Cup Winner 2010 UEFA European Championship Winner 2008 Winner 2012 FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 Runner-up 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup Runner-up 2003 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Runner-up 2003 UEFA U-19 European Championship Winner 2004
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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 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 and the Premier League'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. In the summer of 2010, he moved to Manchester City and appeared in over 400 matches for the club,^[3] 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. 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.^[4][5] Later on, he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during preseason training with Real Sociedad, which forced him to retire in July 2023.^[6]

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.