03/09/2026
Here’s a short extract from Chapter 10- David Silva of It’s All Mick McCarthy’s Fault.
A huge thank you to everyone who’s already reached out and bought a copy. It genuinely means a lot to know the book is finding its way into the hands of fellow Blues and bringing back a few memories along the way.
For anyone who’d like to read the rest, It’s All Mick McCarthy’s Fault is available on Amazon, or you can drop me a direct message for a copy.
"Some footballers become legends because of trophies.
David Silva became one because he made people feel something.
To Manchester City fans, he wasn’t just a player — he was art. Calm in chaos. A magician who could slow time down inside a stadium full of noise. The kind of footballer you don’t just watch… you trust. Like the game is safe as long as he’s on the pitch.
To me, Silva represented everything that Manchester City had become — not just successful, but respected. Not just admired, but loved.
And when I think back to being that lonely kid in Milton Keynes in the 1980s, desperate for a connection to the club… I still can’t quite believe what happened next.
Because somehow — through collecting, through writing, through talking, through being obsessed in all the right ways — I ended up not just meeting David Silva…
…but being invited into his world.
I first set eyes on David Silva on 4th August 2007, in the Thomas Cook Trophy at the Etihad — or the City of Manchester Stadium, as it was still known then.
He scored the only goal for Valencia in a 1–0 win, on what felt like a big occasion: Sven-Göran Eriksson’s homecoming as City manager.
Even then, Silva stood out.
He was nimble. Sharp. Always showing for the ball. Always available. And he never seemed to waste a pass. He had that rare ability to nick possession with a toe, wriggle out of trouble, and somehow create space where there wasn’t any.
I remember thinking to myself:
This kid’s good… but he’s too small for the Premier League.
Three years later, he joined City as part of the revolution under Roberto Mancini — and I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Silva didn’t just succeed in the Premier League.
He changed it.
Pundit after pundit said the same thing I’d thought in 2007: too small, too lightweight, not strong enough for English football. But he went on to spend ten years in the Premier League, and in that time he helped change the entire perception of what a midfielder could look like.
Smaller, nimble, clever players weren’t supposed to dominate the English game — until Silva did it. And once he did, others followed.
He didn’t just break the mould… he made a new one.
He could play football in a phone box. Everything he did looked effortless. He never seemed rushed, never flustered — always two or three steps ahead of everyone else. And half the time, when the pass “went astray”, it wasn’t because Silva had got it wrong… it was because nobody else had read it.
He’d seen it before they had.
The nickname “El Mago” couldn’t be more apt.
A simply wonderful footballer which was a privilege to watch play the beautiful game.
Fast forward to January 2025, and I was contacted by a company who specialise in modern match-worn shirts and exclusive player signings.
They told me they had a signing lined up with David Silva, and asked if I had any shirts from his time at City.
The lad explained that, through David’s agent, they’d found out Silva had hardly kept any of his own career shirts from his ten years at Manchester City — which amazed me. You’d think someone like him would have a room full of them. But apparently that’s common with modern players. Shirts get given away constantly.
I told him I did.
Of course I did. Who wouldn’t want shirts from one of the greatest City players ever in their collection ?
And I had a special one.
A shirt from 18th September 2012 — the one David wore away at Real Madrid in the Champions League at the Bernabéu. Silva had only won the World Cup with Spain a few months earlier, and when he came off late in the second half he actually received a standing ovation from the home fans — a rare moment of respect from the Madrid crowd."
