David Silva: My career at Manchester City and plans for the future
Ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea live on Sky Sports, David Silva sat down with Patrick Davison to reflect on his career so far and discuss his plans for the future.
The summer of 2010 was a special time for Silva – he signed for Man City on June 30 before winning the World Cup with Spain 11 days later.
While the national team have not been able to replicate their 2010 success at subsequent World Cups, Man City have gone from strength-to-strength, winning seven major trophies including three Premier League titles.
Manchester is a world away from the sunny climes of Silva’s home town of Arguineguin, Gran Canaria and Valencia, where the midfielder began his career, but he had no trouble in adapting to north-west England.
He told Davison: „I adapted so well because the people here helped me a lot, so I am grateful to them. That is one of the reasons, the other one is that my family are always with me and behind me and I am so strong in my head.
„It is always there and I am working a lot every day. When you work and you give everything, things become easier.
„It was tough at the beginning because I wasn’t fit. We won the World Cup [in 2010] and I had two weeks only to rest and when I came here, I realised how tough this league was. It was physically strong so I had to get fit.
„I think it was about two months and then I scored the Blackpool goal [his first Premier League goal during a 3-2 win] and my confidence increased.
„It changed me inside because when I scored that goal, my body relaxed and then I could enjoy playing football more and I was better physically. That was the point when I started going up.
„There were some tough times because you wake up and you don’t see the sun, but you get used to it. The problem here is that we have so many games during the winter, but again, you have to get used to it. You have to take more care of your body, to eat better and be healthy. If you take care of yourself more, you will give more.“
Man City won the Premier League in a record-breaking 2017/18 season under Pep Guardiola and are currently locked in a battle with Liverpool at the top of the table as they look to defend their title for the first time.
Silva still wants more for the team, who are still targeting a Champions League title, but is pleased with how City have developed since his arrival.
„The club is making progress and buying players, but keeping the old guard,“ he said. „I think it is a mix of old players and young players so that is a good mix.
„I think it is good and the club is doing well, which you can see on the pitch. This season, maybe we can do better than last season.
„At the end, I think it depends on the results so this season, we can win more than last season for sure but at the moment, we did the same as we did under Manuel [Pellegrini] or [Roberto] Mancini. We won the league and the cup and last season was the same.“
At the age of 33, Silva is entering his twilight years in terms of football and with a one-year-old son, Mateo, to raise with his family, the Spaniard is savouring every moment he has on and off the field.
He said: „I don’t have a plan [for the future]. Now, I just want to enjoy it more because I’m 33 and someday, football will be over for me. I want to enjoy the life more after what happened with my son [Mateo was born prematurely] and enjoy time with my family and friends.
„I don’t think too much, I just play every game and try in every training. I don’t think about the future. Maybe more now because I’m older, but before I just enjoyed playing and working hard and that’s it.
„This club is progressing well and they want to sign good players so someone will come in to replace me. Another year, playing at a high level and winning titles, it is not easy in England so that is why I think they like me.
„When you do something which is not good for your body, you can feel it more [as you get older], but in my head, it is still the same so when this is not going well, there is a problem. For now, it is still fresh so I’m feeling good.“
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