Though David Silva arrived at the Etihad in 2010 from Valencia burdened with the reputation as one of the best midfielders on the continent, few could have expected the adoration the Spaniard would garner in his time in England.
‘El Mago’ joined Manchester City as a 24 year-old and, eight years on, is now generally regarded as one of if not the greatest player to play for the blue side of town.
His importance to the team and respect he commands in the dressing room has been recently highlighted with footage that has emerged following the airing of a new documentary.
Last year amid Manchester City romping to the Premier League title, Silva’s son Mateo was bought prematurely- after just 25 weeks- and needed to be kept in hospital in Valencia, with Silva having to make the arduous journey back-and-forth from the North-West of England to the west coast of Spain.
As Silva correctly says, the potential heart-break made him ‘look at things in another way…. You learn to prioritise the little things’, but his sporadic absences were a cause for concern among quizzical City fans.
Understandably, neither the club nor the player immediately chose to disclose the circumstances surrounding the magician’s absence, and the eventual reveal of the news at the beginning of 2018 sent an outpouring of sympathy to the Spaniard, his partner Yessica Suarez Gonzalez, and his son.
Now, in emotional footage shown in the new Amazon Prime series ‘All or Nothing’, documenting the behind-the-scenes workings of the Premier League Champions, Silva’s manager Pep Guardiola is seen passionately addressing the tentative changing room ahead of their league home clash against Tottenham Hotspur (16th December 2017), and with Silva having anxiously returned to Spain:
‘Today you have to win for one reason’
We have to win for David Silva and his girlfriend Yessie’
Guardiola barks at players around him,
‘He’s f**king suffering in life. When you go out there you enjoy enjoy and enjoy for him.
If we go out there and we suffer, suffer for him.
Today I want a win for David Silva and his girlfriend and his family”
City promptly responded in emphatic fashion as Manchester City would eventually win the tie against Spurs 4-1, to mark their 16th win in a row.
When Kevin De Bruyne delivered a trademark lashing past Spurs’ goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, the Belgian turned to the camera and held up fingers signifying a ‘2’ and a ‘1’: the number on the back of Silva’s shirt and a clear indication that amidst all the beautiful football on display, their Magician was at the forefront of his and his teammates’ minds.
David Silva would eventually produce the third most assists for City in their record-breaking season, a vital contribution as they received their third Premier League title, and one of the more memorable scenes of City’s celebrations following their raucous parade through the streets of Manchester was the exhibition of a pre-recorded message of Silva holding his son and congratulating the fans and his team.
