Silva called time on his career earlier this week after suffering a knee injury during pre-season training with Real Sociedad.
The 37-year-old is a true City legend, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups during his ten-year stay in Manchester.
David Silva | 21 magic moments
His impact on the Club is now permanently memorialised with a statue outside the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola coached the Spaniard from 2016 until Silva left in 2020.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference in Seoul ahead of Sunday’s friendly with Atletico Madrid, Guardiola said: “It is definitely sad news.
“His impact, not just at City, which was unbelievable, but every team he played for Valencia, Eibar, Real Sociedad and the national team.
“The best I have seen playing in the pockets. He was one of the players who allowed for the success of this team.
“David is one of them. We wish him all the best in the future from the whole Manchester City family.
“It absolutely was a pleasure to be his manager and see day in and day out the quality he had.”
Watch the video above to hear all of Pep’s thoughts ahead of that game...
WATCH OUR ASIA TOUR MATCHES ON CITY+ OR RECAST
CITY+ and Recast will exclusively show all pre-season tour games live in the UK.
We face Atletico Madrid on Sunday, 30 July, with fans all over the world (except South Korea) able to watch the action.
Fans in South Korea can watch on Coupang Play – so head over there and sign up now if you haven’t already!
CITY+ is also where you will find the entire catalogue of City Studios documentaries and vodcasts.
Watchable through our official website or app*, CITY+ is available via an annual subscription of £34.99 a year, saving you £24 on our monthly offering.
Choose monthly and pay £4.99 a month with the option to cancel anytime.
Official Cityzens and Season Ticket Members can subscribe annually for £30 a year, a saving of £29.
Alternatively, you can join us on Recast for a flexible, pay-per-view option on all the same exciting content found on CITY+.
Simply follow our official channel and pay for the matches, documentaries, full-match replays and vodcasts you want to see.
*Tour matches will not be available to watch on our TV app due to regional restrictions
