Ion Alcoba/Quality Sport Images/Getty ImagesLongtime Manchester City midfielder David Silva announced his retirement from soccer Thursday at the age of 37.
Silva made it official with a video statement on Twitter, saying it was a "sad day" for him to step away from the sport he loves:
David Silva @21LVAMuchas gracias…fútbol <a href="https://t.co/HoB6TPojAd">pic.twitter.com/HoB6TPojAd</a>
In addition to being a four-time English Premier League champion at Manchester City, Silva won the FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2010.
After beginning his professional career with Valencia B in 2003, followed by brief stints at Eibar and Celta Vigo, Silva played four seasons at Valencia, scoring 32 goals across all competitions for the club.
Manchester City landed Silva on a transfer in 2010, and he went on to enjoy the greatest success of his career at Etihad Stadium.
Silva, who was nicknamed Merlin thanks to his mesmerizing skill as an attacking midfielder, appeared in 436 matches across all competitions for City, scoring 77 times.
Along with his four EPL titles, Silva won the FA Cup twice, the FA Community Shield twice and the EFL Cup on five occasions.
Individually, Silva led the EPL in assists during the 2011-12 season, and he was named the Manchester City Player of the Season in 2016-17.
Silva spent the final three seasons of his career with La Liga club Real Sociedad, scoring seven goals in 93 matches, and winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
As good as Silva was as a club player, the Spaniard was arguably at his best when representing his country internationally.
Silva earned 125 appearances for the Spanish senior national team during his career, scoring 35 times.
As a member of La Roja, Silva won the 2010 World Cup and both the 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championship.
Perhaps the biggest goal of his international goal came at Euro 2012 when he netted the first goal of what turned out to be a 4-0 win over Italy in the final.
From 2008 to 2012, Spain enjoyed one of the greatest runs of any national team in history, and there is no question that Silva's contributions played a significant role in their success.
ncG1vNJzZmianJqupLTEq6meqJ%2BnwW%2BvzqZmmqqknrCtsdJoaGloaGl%2Bdn2MnZivoZRiwKq41Zpkq52knr%2Bmv4yana2domK4r7HEZqCnoqWnxm65wKeaoZ2jqbKzecKiq7JlnJq0prrDZq6opl2svLO4w2aarqhdnrtufo9qZw%3D%3D