Profiling David Silva, Man City’s Latest Transfer Target
Summer is here and so is the association football transfer window, and after a season of mad transfers last year, we are in for another equally mad registration period all thanks to the riches of Real Madrid and Manchester City.
After spending more than 240 million pounds last year and yet failing to land a single piece of silverware, Manchester City are at it yet again, spoiling the market and chasing every big name that is out there. Perhaps someone should go and tell them money can’t buy success; a lesson they should have learned by now.
Spain and Valencia’s dynamic, down to earth, yet dazzling twinkle-toed midfielder David Silva is at the top of Man City’s shopping list this time around. Presented below are a few facts about the player.
Silva’s full name is David Josué Jiménez Silva. He was born to a Spanish father and an Asian mother on the 8th of January 1986 in Arguineguin, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. Silva was a highly talented youngster who was the fruit of Valencia’s youth academy, but only made his debut as a professional footballer while he was on loan at SD Eibar, scoring on five occasions in 35 league appearances.
The 2005-06 season was a landmark one for Silva when he was loaned to top division Celta de Vigo by his parent club, and he did not disappoint in his first season in the Spanish top flight, netting 4 times in 34 appearances, and helping his team qualify for the UEFA Cup.
His impressive performances in the season led Valencia to tie the midfielder to a 7 year contract in 2007, and he repaid that faith with his performances, scoring 20 times in 140 appearances, and in the meantime becoming one of the most sought-after wingers in Europe.
With four goals in the FIFA World Youth Championships in the year 2005, he was the joint fourth-top scorer alongside Italian striker Graziano Pellè, helping Spain to make it to the quarter finals of the competition. He made his senior debut at the age of 20 when Spain lost 1-0 to Romania in 2006; however, it was not until a year later that he netted for the first time for his country. The two goals were netted in the August 2007 Friendly against Greece, where Spain were 3-2 winners.
A year later in Portugal he played a pivotal role in the UEFA Euro 2008, where Spain ended their hoodoo in major footballing competitions and shook off the perennial chokers title to be crowned kings of Europe. Silva was a key part of this success along with the tournament’s top scorer David Villa and his partner in crime, Liverpool’s Fernando Torres. Silva was on the score sheet in the semi-final against Russia where he scored a sublime beauty from the right wing. After guiding his country to the final of the competition, he could not play the full 90 minutes of the match, as he had to be substituted after getting entangled in a minor on-pitch feud with German striker Lukas Podolski. Nonetheless, his contributions will never be forgotten.
Silva was the subject of an Internet prank that spread the rumour that because of his Asian roots, he was a skilled machete fighter, which is, of course, not true.
Silva is primarily an attacking midfielder but such is his versatility that he can be employed anywhere across the midfield, be it either on the wings or at the centre of defensive midfield. For his club though, he has spent the last two years playing on the right side of the midfield, and is one of the brightest talents in Spain right now.
If he decides to come to England, La Liga will certainly be a less beautiful place without him, and the opposite can be said for the English Premier League.
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