Squad number: 21
Total appearances: 50
Premier League appearances: 33
Total Premier League passes: 2015
Premier League tackles: 30
Premier League goals: 6
Total goals: 10
Total assists: 15
Season’s highlights
It’s fair to say that Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho’s injuries, particularly in the final months of the campaign, meant David Silva probably played more minutes than Pep Guardiola had intended.
Had the experienced trio all been fit, Silva would have undoubtedly been able to rest here and there to recharge his batteries, but things didn’t pan out that way and he instead made 33 appearances in the Premier League and 50 in total..
Asking to pick Silva’s highlights out is not easy, simply because there are so many, but ending his 2019 goal drought at Wembley on the last day of the campaign would have to be up there among them.
Not only did he win a header in the build-up, but his controlled shot across the Watford goalkeeper put the Blues on the way to domestic dominance and a fourth trophy of the campaign.
And who didn’t smile when he momentarily lost possession as he fell to the ground only to ‘accidentally’ rise up as the Watford player threatened to run into the box, earning him a yellow card?
Overview
‘El Mago’ - The Magician. Rarely has a nickname been more deserving as Silva completed his ninth season for Manchester City.
David’s game has never been about pace, only the speed of thought, vision and ability to put all that into sublime passes and movement - and he used all those attributes during another superb campaign that saw him take his trophy haul with the Blues to 12 in nine years.
In fact, with Vincent Kompany deciding to move on to pastures new, he will be the Club’s most decorated player next season, where he will no doubt look to add yet more silverware to what must be a trophy cabinet the size of a small house.
For all the guile, class and grace he has, David Silva is a winner as his career has shown time and time and again.
He is now just four games shy of 400 for the Blues and is irreplaceable in the eyes of City fans.
During 2018/19, his half century of appearances yielded 15 assists and 10 goals - he has only once played more games (53 in his debut 2010/11 season) and once scored more goals (12 in 2014/15) - those are staggering statistics.
His decision to retire from international duty was absolutely the right thing to do - less travel, time to rest up during the breaks for qualifiers and, most of all, more time at home with his wife and Mateo, the little son he dotes on.
Pep knows just how to utilise David in his intricate jigsaw and he is likely to do so again to similar effect in 2019/20.
So - and here’s the bit you could copy and paste from previous seasonal overviews - another superb campaign by the man who sets the tempo and make sure the orchestra is completely in tune.
