David Silva: The least talked-about nimble left-footed player

David Silva

In the summer window transfer of 2013 football freaks around the world were gung ho about the transfer of Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil, two of the most lethal left-footed players of modern times. Recently another southpaw Juan Mata was the cynosure of everyone’s eyes for his much anticipated transfer to Manchester United. And not to forget Lionel Messi, the numero uno when it comes to left feet, whose every baby step hogs the limelight.

However, there is one more player in the Premier League who weaves his magic throughout the field day in and day out. David Silva, the fulcrum of Manchester City’s attacking quartet, is presently the most creative powerhouse in the English Premier League. Often dubbed as “Merlin” the wizard, his left feet juxtaposed to the ball doing swift twist and turns is nothing short of a magic wand sprinkling his pristine passes all over the field. Maybe it’s the amalgamation of Spanish and Japanese roots in his genes, that gives his game an extra elegance and suppleness which most players are devoid of.

A Valencia youth product, he was discarded by Real Madrid as a 14-year-old, due to his small stature. However, not to be bogged down by this early set back, he has used his puny body to his advantage and it is evident by his game tackling burly English defenders head-on in the premier league .

Having already amassed more than 57 assists and 22 goals for Manchester city since his debut in 2010, he has been at the heart of every attacking display of the nouveau riche City for the past few seasons. His switch from a more technical league to a physical one did raise eyebrows alluding to his physical stature. However, he has proved himself as an antithesis to the fact that football is all about physical business. His immediate impact at the Eastlands was rewarded with him being voted as the Player of the Year for 2011-12 and nominated as the Player of the Month umpteenth times. In such a short spell his stats are more than impressive.

After a slow start to 2013-14 season due to injuries, he has slowly began to catch up. Silva is the most frequent creator so far in this Premier League season creating a chance every 21.4 minutes. With three shot assists per 90 minutes, his passes are drilling holes in the opponents defenses be it open play or set play. Having a knack for creating spaces, giving him an inch of space is like setting the alarm bell for an incoming goal threat.

Last night’s Champions League match for Manchester City against Barcelona was a night to forget for City. Nevertheless Silva was the sole player shining, stamping his authority with pin-point passes and showing Barcelona that they are not the only ones with exclusive rights to fluid football.

If it is Messi that mesmerizes the world with his breathtaking goals, then Silva is not far in beguiling the crowd with his salivating passes. His charisma among the City loyalists could be seen in their omnipresent placards proclaiming “Stay Calm, Pass To Silva”. A histrionics less customer, Silva lets the football do all the talking. And all this ingenuity with sheer calm and humbleness makes him taller than his game.

All the modern footballing greats like Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso and so on belonging to the so called top echelon clubs are the names that pundits chant always. However, it’s time to add a Silva to that list.If players with glamorous persona are the media’s apple pie, it’s time to give players with the next door boy image their due for playing this beautiful game the way it needs to be played; dribble, pass and shoot – nothing else.

When it comes to instinctive passess and exquisite dribbling, Silva matches all the present greats. However, his name is seldom mentioned in equal measure to other modern greats.