David Silva and his sensational Man City legacy ahead of 400th appearance
Using Opta data, we shine a light on David Silva's remarkable career at Manchester City ahead of his 400th outing for the club.
Published : Aug 25, 2019 15:13 IST
David Silva could become the 14th player to make 400 competitive appearances for Manchester City when the Premier League champion visits Bournemouth on Sunday.
The last player to reach the milestone in the blue half of Manchester was former captain Paul Power, who spent 11 years at Maine Road but did not win a trophy during his time at the club. Times have changed and Silva, who has confirmed this will be his final season with City, now skippers the most dominant team in English football.
MOVING ON UP
Silva could conceivably bow out next year ranked as high as eighth on City's list of all-time appearance makers, albeit that would require him to likely be an ever-present in Pep Guardiola’s teams in the 2019-20 season.
The renowned Mike Summerbee occupies that spot with 452 games to his credit, meaning Silva would have to even surpass the 50 outings he managed last term.
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Separating the pair are Sam Cowan (407), Ernie Toseland (411), Neil Young (415), Willie Donachie (436) and ninth-placed Power (445). Silva has never made more appearances in a single season for City than the 53 tallied after joining from Valencia, although he did register more minutes (3,880) the following campaign.
It was then, in that historic 2011-12 campaign, that a future favourite really came to the fore.
BRAINS BEHIND THE BREAKTHROUGH
"I am so pleased he is coming to us because I think he can make a big, big impact for Manchester City," said then-manager Roberto Mancini upon securing Silva's signature in 2010.
The Italian's words were prophetic.
After a third-place finish in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, midfielder Silva and a core cast of stars including Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany spurred an expensively assembled squad to the success expected of it.
Silva was pivotal in helping make the dream of a first Premier League title become a reality. His contribution across all competitions amounted to eight goals, 19 assists and landmark victory after landmark victory during his 49 appearances.
It remains the 125-cap international's finest season for the club in terms of goal involvements, even accounting for the unparalleled excellence of the Guardiola era.
PREMIER LEAGUE'S SUPREME PROVIDER
Silva has added three more Premier League titles to his City legacy since pipping Manchester United in dramatic circumstances seven years ago.
Trophies aside, a man described by Guardiola as a "European great" will be remembered at City as much for his artistry on the ball and his ability to help get the best out of his team-mates.
Nobody has come close to rivalling the number of Premier League assists (83) Silva has laid on since the start of the 2010-11 season, nor the level of chances created (745). Those figures continue to swell and so too will the diminutive Spaniard's enormous imprint on English football over the course of his farewell lap.