David Silva has been one of the greatest midfielders of the last 15 years. He made 436 appearances for Manchester City, is one of their legendary players, and already has a statue honouring him outside the Etihad Stadium. The Spaniard, who was playing for Real Sociedad, has unfortunately been forced to retire at the age of 37, after recently injuring his cruciate ligament.
Silva had been playing for La Real for the last three years, after leaving City. He racked up 93 appearances and was an instant fan favourite. The veteran midfielder was a regular starter and had no intention of leaving the game anytime soon, which makes the injury all the more devastating.
In Spain, many people do not regard Silva amongst the greatest players in his position, players like Mesut Özil and Kaka. A reason for this could be the fact that Silva never played for Real Madrid or Barcelona. As a Spanish player, it is almost an expectation that the greatest players for the nation will at some point in their career play for one of the top two teams. Silva played in Spain for 10 years, but has never played for the big two.
The classy playmaker played 125 times for his country, and scored 35 goals. He was the definition of a modern great and a big loss to the game.
Japtej Ghura | GSFN
