David Silva · Biography

On 1 July 2012, at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, David Silva headed the opening goal of the European Championship final, which Spain won 4-0 against Italy. He was a midfielder who almost never scored with his head. The title gave Spain three major tournaments in a row, and he had played in all three. David Josué Jiménez Silva was born on 8 January 1986 in Arguineguín, in the municipality of Mogán on Gran Canaria. He played as an attacking midfielder and a winger. His clubs were Valencia, Eibar, Celta, Manchester City and Real Sociedad.

From Arguineguín to Valencia's academy

His father, Fernando Jiménez, was a municipal police officer who at one point handled security at Mestalla. His mother is Eva Silva. His home town had no team for his age group, so he started out in the under-10 side of UD San Fernando in Maspalomas. He joined Valencia's academy as a teenager and won the Spanish under-16 championship. By 2002 he was listed with Valencia's C team. Teammates called him «Chino». At youth level he was a runner-up at the 2003 European Under-17 Championship and won the European Under-19 Championship in 2004.

Loans at Eibar and Celta

In 2004 Valencia loaned him to SD Eibar in the Spanish second division. He made 35 league appearances and scored four goals for a side that finished fourth. The following year he went on loan to Celta de Vigo and made his top-flight debut against Málaga at Balaídos. He ended the 2005-06 campaign with 34 league games and four goals. After two years away, at two different levels, he returned to Mestalla in the summer of 2006.

Four years in Valencia's first team

Between 2006 and 2010 he played 168 competitive matches for Valencia and scored 32 goals. His best scoring year was his last, 2009-10, with ten goals. On 16 April 2008 Valencia beat Getafe 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final, and Silva was involved in two of the goals. His move to Manchester City was completed on 30 June 2010 for around 33 million euros, on a four-year contract.

A decade at Manchester City

He played in Manchester from 2010 to 2020, making 436 appearances and scoring 77 goals. He won four Premier League titles, in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019, and two FA Cups, in 2011 and 2019. He also lifted five League Cups (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020) and three Community Shields (2012, 2018 and 2019). He was named club captain in August 2019. On 28 August 2021, after he had moved on, City unveiled a steel statue of him by sculptor Andy Scott outside the Etihad's East Stand. A statue of Vincent Kompany was unveiled the same day.

With the Spain national team

He made his senior debut on 15 November 2006 in a friendly against Romania at the Ramón de Carranza stadium in Cádiz. On 26 June 2008 in Vienna he scored Spain's third goal in their 3-0 European Championship semi-final win over Russia, and Spain went on to win the tournament. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa followed, then Euro 2012 with his goal in the Kyiv final. With Spain he also finished third at the 2009 Confederations Cup and second at the 2013 edition. He played his last international on 1 July 2018 at the World Cup in Russia. In August of that year he retired from international football with 125 caps and 35 goals.

Real Sociedad, retirement and Hong Kong

He signed for Real Sociedad on 17 August 2020 and made his debut against Real Madrid on 21 September. On 3 April 2021 he played in the delayed 2019-20 Copa del Rey final, which the San Sebastián club won 1-0 against Athletic Club. He made 93 appearances and scored seven goals for the club. In pre-season in 2023 he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, and he announced his retirement on 27 July 2023. On 7 October 2026, Hong Kong Premier League club Supreme Sha Tin announced his return for a one-off stint. On 7 November 2026, at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, he scored a penalty in a 1-1 draw with BC Rangers.