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The Midfield in relation to the football positions

A midfielder (or simply mid) is an association football position.^[1] Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards.^[2] The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role. The group of midfielders in a team is called the midfield.

More complete midfielders require a number of skills on top of fitness: they tackle, dribble, shoot and pass during any match. Most managers field at least one central midfielder with a marked task of breaking up opposition's attacks while the rest are more adept to creating goals or have equal responsibilities between attack and defence. At either side of the pitch a manager can field a right or left midfielder, who are used equally for both attack and defence, or a winger, a player used primarily for attack.

In essence, a good midfield must possess the ability to be combative while also being creative. A good striker without midfield support could lack attacking chances, while a defense likewise could be severely tested. Because they occupy the most influential parts of the pitch, midfielders are perhaps more likely to influence the outcome of a match than other positions,^[3] especially if they have vision for a good pass or ability to score.

Midfielders typically expend the most energy during a match because of the distance they cover on a pitch, as at times they can be called back into defence, or required to attack with the strikers.^[1]

Types of Midfielders[link]

Central midfielder[link]

Central midfielders play various roles on the field of play, and are probably the most important in terms of setting up attacks. Their position enables them to have an all-round view of the match, and as most of the action takes place in and around their area of the pitch, midfielders often exert the greatest degree of control over how a match is played. This section of the field is often known as a team's "engine room", because great teams rarely succeed without adept, commanding central midfielders.

Defensive midfielder[link]

2 defensive midfielders are indicated in blue circles.

A defensive midfielder or holding midfielder is often likened to an evolved version of the old-school sweeper.

The responsibilities of defensive midfielders usually include:

• Screening the defense by harrying and tackling the opposition teams' attackers and defenders.
• Covering the positions of full-backs, midfielders and even centre-backs as they advance into attack. This can be during open play or during set pieces such as free-kicks or corners.
• Retaining distribution nearer the defense. As passing the defense can be especially risky, the presence of the defensive midfielder just in front of defenders provides a relatively safer option going forward.
• Directing the distribution towards the flanks or further up front.
• Directing the opposition distribution to the flanks or deeper down their end, where they are less effective. Defensive midfielders are often pulled slightly towards the flank to deal with the threat of wingers cutting infield.

Although the duties of defensive midfielders are primarily defensive, some midfielders are deployed as deep-lying playmakers, due to their ability to dictate tempo from a deep position with their passing. As they are not defensive specialists, they are typically supported by a more defensive holding midfielder.

Defensive midfielders require excellent positional sense, work rate, tackling ability, and anticipation (of player and ball movement) to excel. They also need to possess excellent passing skills and close control to hold the ball in midfield under sustained pressure. Most importantly, defensive midfielders require great stamina as they are the onfield players who cover the greatest distance during a professional football match. Deep-lying playmakers typically require a good first touch under opposition pressure and the ability to play long crossfield passes to attacking players further upfield.

The defensive midfielder position is also referred to in Brazilian Portuguese as volante and in South American Spanish as volante de marca (Spanish and Portuguese for "steering wheel", or someone who gives direction), in Portugal as a trinco (meaning "lock"), in Mexico as "volante de contención" and in Russian as a волнорез (pronounced – vol-no-rez, meaning "wave-breaker"). Most Brazilian teams deploy at least one "volante" in their team, including the Brazilian national team who have fielded defensive midfielders, such as 1994 World Cup winning team captain Dunga.

Deep-lying playmaker[link]

Some players prefer to set up an attack from a withdrawn position, and are often coined deep-lying playmakers, mainly because of their ability to spread play and dictate the game from a withdrawn position. Despite their deep role, they are not classed as defensive midfielders as tackling and defence are not the main function of their roles, and they may have to be supported by a holding midfielder.

Deep-lying playmakers are typically given a moderate amount of defensive responsibilities, but are granted freedom positionally to dictate the play as it evolves, as well as a license to attempt long riskier balls, to the forwards.

The essential attributes of a deep-lying playmaker include:

• Good long passing ability, to play balls towards forwards and wingers. Crossfield wangers are typically attempted from deep when the opposing full back is drawn towards the middle and there is an open channel in the flank for the on rushing winger.
• Stamina, to cover large distances in professional football. In the top football leagues, a midfielder covers upwards of 10 kilometres per game.
• Short passing ability. Although many deep-lying playmakers have natural talent and creativity, they are expected to play short simple passes when deep in their half to avoid the possibility of a counter-attack. They are however given some degree of freedom in playing long passes deep into opposition territory.
• Creativity/Vision. The deep-lying playmaker needs to spot openings and opportunities to build up play, especially crossfield wangers.
• A good and sure first touch to control the ball when receiving passes under sustained opposition pressure.

Attacking midfielder[link]

Two possible positions for an attacking midfielder are indicated in the blue oval.

An attacking midfielder is any midfielder who is stationed in a more advanced midfield position to assist goalscoring.^[3] The attacking midfielder is an influential position and requires the player to possess good technical abilities, an eye for a pass, running and dribbling skills.

Attacking midfielders are generally required to have:

• Excellent technical ability, including close control, passing, shooting and dribbling.
• Creativity, to anticipate passing opportunities for their fellow forwards.
• Off-the-ball intelligence, to anticipate passes from the midfield which create opportunities to score or to pass on to a forward.
• An understanding of the winger role. Due to tactical changes, central attacking midfielders are sometimes played on the wing, to accommodate other strikers or forwards.
• A secondary ability is finishing technique and composure.

Playing in a very advanced central midfield role just behind the strikers is sometimes known as "playing in the bumhole", although this term can also be used to describe a deep lying forward, traditionally he is called a Number 10 or Trequartista [trekwarˈtista], literally anal fiddler. This specialist midfielder's main role is to act as the offensive pivot of the team, to create goal-scoring opportunities for his team mates, and perhaps to score himself. This position is also known as playmaker.^[2]

The attacking midfielder position is also referred to in Brazilian Portuguese as meia' or 'meia-atacante' ("attacking midfielder" in English).

Box-to-box midfielder[link]

The term "box-to-box" is often used to refer to the most dynamic all-round/complete midfielders, who provide both defensive and attacking prowess.^[4] The most versatile of players, they typically possess exceptional stamina and are usually skilled at tackling, passing, shooting and also good at keeping possession.

Winger[link]

A winger or wide midfielder is a midfielder located on the wing of the midfield. Traditionally, wingers were purely attacking players who hugged the touch line and were not expected to track back and defend. This began to change in the 1960s. In the 1966 World Cup, England manager Alf Ramsey did not select wingers from the quarter final onwards. This team was known as the "Wingless Wonders" and led to the modern 4–4–2 formation.^[5][6]

This has led to most modern wide players having a more demanding role in the sense that they are expected to provide defensive cover for their full-backs and track back to repossess the ball, as well as provide skillful crosses for centre forwards and strikers.^[7] Some forwards are able to operate as wingers behind a lone striker. In a three-man midfield, specialist wingers are sometimes deployed down the flanks alongside the central midfielder or playmaker.

Even more demanding is the role of wing-back, where the wide player is expected to provide both defence and attack.^[8] As the role of winger can be classed as a forward or a midfielder, so this role blurs the divide between defender and midfielder.

Wingers are indicated in red, while the 'wide men' (who play to the flanks of the central midfielders) are indicated in blue.

A winger is an attacking midfielder who is stationed in a wide position near the touchlines.^[7] Wingers such as Stanley Matthews or Jimmy Johnstone used to be classified as forwards in traditional W-shaped formations, and were formally known as "Outside Right" or "Outside Left", but as tactics evolved through the last 40 years, wingers have dropped to deeper field positions and are now usually classified as part of the midfield, usually in 4–4–2 or 4–5–1 formations (but while the team is on the attack, they tend to resemble 4–2–4 and 4–3–3 formations respectively).

The responsibilities of the winger include:

• Providing a "wide presence" as a passing option on the flank.
• To beat the opposing full-back either with skill or with speed.
• To read passes from the midfield that give them a clear crossing opportunity, when going wide, or that give them a clear scoring opportunity, when cutting inside towards goal.
• To double up on the opposition winger, particularly when he is being "double-marked" by both the team's full back and winger.

The stereotypical winger is fast, tricky and enjoys 'hugging' the touchline, that is, running downfield close to the touchline and delivering crosses. However, players with different attributes can thrive on the wing as well. Some wingers prefer to cut infield (as opposed to staying wide) and pose a threat as playmakers by playing diagonal passes to forwards or taking a shot at goal. Even players who are not considered quick, have been successfully fielded as wingers at club and international level for their ability to create play from the flank. Occasionally wingers are given a free role to roam across the front line and are relieved of defensive responsibilities.

The typical abilities of wingers include:

• Technical skill to beat a full-back in a one-to-one situation.
• Pace, to beat the full-back one-on-one.
• Crossing ability when out wide.
• Good off-the-ball ability when reading a pass from the midfield or from fellow attackers.
• Good passing ability and composure, to retain possession while in opposition territory.
• The modern winger should also be comfortable on either wing so as to adapt to quick tactical changes required by the coach.

Traditionally, right-footed players are played on the right wing and left-footed players on the left as a matter of familiarity and comfort. However, in the modern game, coaches usually demand wingers to be able to play on both flanks and to switch flanks during play regularly as a quick change of tactics. For instance, a right-footed winger who plays on the left flank is more comfortable cutting into the middle, which suits the styles of playmaker forwards who can cause a threat both by shooting from distance, dribbling towards goal, or sliding through passes to other forwards. Another advantage is that the winger can cut inside, towards the weaker foot of the full-back. Clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid often choose to play their wingers on the 'wrong' flank for this reason; Barcelona's Josep Guardiola puts left-footed Lionel Messi on the right and Pedro on the left, while Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho often plays Ángel di María on the right and Cristiano Ronaldo on the left. One of the foremost practitioners of playing from either flank was the German winger, Jürgen Grabowski, whose flexibility helped Germany to fourth place in the 1970 World Cup, and a championship in the 1974 World Cup.

Although wingers are a familiar part of football, the use of wingers is by no means universal. There are many successful football teams who operate without wingers. A famous example is AC Milan, who typically play in a narrow midfield diamond formation or in a Christmas tree formation (4–3–2–1), relying on full-backs to provide the necessary width down the wings.

See also[link]

• Association football positions
• Formation
• Goalkeeper
• Defender
• Playmaker
• Forward
• Outside forward

References[link]

Jonjo Shelvey

Personal information
Full name	Jonjo Shelvey[1]
Date of birth	(1992-02-27) 27 February 1992 (age 20)
Place of birth	Romford, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Liverpool
Number	33
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2008–2010	Charlton Athletic	42	(7)
2010–	Liverpool	28	(1)
2011	→ Blackpool	10	(6)
National team‡
2007–2008	England U16	6	(3)
2008–2009	England U17	7	(1)
2010–	England U19	4	(4)
2011–	England U21	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:50, 13 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 8 March 2012

Jonjo Shelvey (born 27 February 1992)^[2] is an English footballer who plays for Liverpool as a midfielder. He has represented and also captained England at Under-19 level.^[3] He previously played for Charlton Athletic, being their youngest-ever first-team player, making his first appearance at the age of 16 years and 59 days.^[2] He made a £1.7 million move to Liverpool in the summer of 2010.

Club career[link]

Charlton Athletic[link]

Born in Romford, London, Shelvey was in the youth setups of Arsenal and West Ham United the club he supports before moving on to Charlton.^[4] Shelvey made his breakthrough in the 2007–08 season after scoring 14 goals in 23 appearances for Charlton's Under 18s. When making his first-team debut in April 2008, against Barnsley, he became Charlton's youngest-ever player, at the age of 16 years and 59 days — beating the previous holder, Paul Konchesky.^[5]

On 3 January 2009, Shelvey became Charlton's youngest-ever goal-scorer, with a strike against Norwich City in the FA Cup, 54 days before his 17th birthday,^[2] breaking the previous record held by Peter Reeves who was aged 17 years and 100 days when he scored – also against Norwich – in May 1966, He picked the ball up just outside the box, before striking it right footed into the corner of the net. Shelvey had a lively first half, but tired as the game drew on. Despite interest from several Premier League clubs, on the morning of 27 February, his 17th birthday, Shelvey signed his first professional contract with Charlton. On 9 September he signed a one-year contract extension until 2012. He scored his first league goal in the 3–2 win against Southampton on 4 April 2009.^[6][7]

Liverpool[link]

Shelvey signed for Liverpool in May 2010, for an initial fee of £1.7 million.^[8] He made his debut for the club as an extra-time substitute on 22 September in The Reds' shock League Cup third-round defeat against League Two side Northampton Town at Anfield, with Liverpool losing 4–2 on penalties (with Shelvey scoring in the shootout) after a 2–2 draw.^[9] Shelvey started his first game for the club in Liverpool's UEFA Europa League group game against Napoli on the 21 October 2010, playing the whole 90 minutes match in a 0–0 draw.^[10] On 24 October, Shelvey made his Premier League debut against Blackburn Rovers at Anfield, coming on in the 87th minute in the Reds' 2-1 win.

Shelvey joined Championship club Blackpool on loan on 30 September 2011.^[11] The following day he scored on his debut, in a 5–0 win against Bristol City at Bloomfield Road.^[12] He also scored his first professional hat-trick in a 5–0 win away at Leeds United in November 2011.^[13]

On 30 November, he was recalled by Liverpool due to injury problems within the team, mainly surrounding Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva, Lucas was later ruled out for the remainder of the season.^[14] He made his first ever Premier League start the following weekend against Aston Villa.^[15]

On 6 January 2012, he scored his first senior goal for Liverpool in a 5–1 win in a third round FA Cup tie against Oldham Athletic at Anfield. ^[16]

On 8 May 2012, he scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool from 30 yards in a 4–1 win over Chelsea at Anfield.^[17]

International career[link]

Shelvey captained the England Under 16s as they won the 2007 Victory Shield scoring three goals in three games.^[18] He also played a key role in the Montaigu Tournament, which England won for the first time in seven years, playing in all four games and scoring a free kick in the final against France.^[19] In October 2008, he made his debut for the England Under 17s and scored in a 7–0 win over Estonia.^[20]

On his debut for the England Under 19s, in September 2010, he captained and scored a free-kick in a 2–0 win over Slovakia,^[21] and followed up by scoring on his following two appearances for the side.^[22][23] He won his first Under-21 cap coming on as substitute in a 6–0 win against Azerbaijan in September 2011.^[24]

Shelvey is also eligible to play for Scotland^[25] and the Republic of Ireland.^[26] He is eligible to play for Scotland through his Scottish grandfather.^[27]

Career Statistics[link]

England
Season	Club	Loan	Division	League		FA Cup		League Cup		FL Trophy		Play-Offs		Europe		Total		Discipline
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
2012–13	Liverpool		Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	–	–	–	0	0	0	0	0	0
2011–12			Premier League	13	1	2	1	1	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	16	2	2	0
2011–12	Blackpool	Loan	Championship	10	6	0	0	0	0	–	–	0	0	–	–	10	6	1	0
2010–11	Liverpool		Premier League	15	0	1	0	1	0	–	–	–	–	4	0	21	0	1	0
Liverpool Total				28	1	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	37	1	3	0
2009–10	Charlton Athletic		League One	24	4	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	–	–	27	4	3	0
2008–09			Championship	16	3	3	1	1	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	20	4	3	0
2007–08			Championship	2	0	0	0	0	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	2	0	0	0
Charlton Athletic Total				42	7	4	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	49	8	8	0
Career Total				80	14	7	1	3	0	2	0	0	0	4	0	96	15	12	0

Correct as of 13th May 2012.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jonjo Shelvey profile at the Liverpool website
• Jonjo Shelvey career stats at Soccerbase
• ESPN Profile
• LFCHistory Profile

v t e England squad – 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship 1 Steer 2 Hurst 3 Garbutt 4 Gardner 5 Laing 6 Parkes 7 Shelvey 8 Bostock 9 Baxter 10 Wilshere 11 Afobe 12 Freeman 13 Johnstone 14 Tunnicliffe 15 Oshodi 16 Elford-Alliyu 17 Walcott 18 Habergham Coach: Peacock

David Silva

Silva playing for Spain.
Personal information
Full name	David Josué Jiménez Silva
Date of birth	(1986-01-08) 8 January 1986 (age 26)
Place of birth	Arguineguín, Spain
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) [1]
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Manchester City
Number	21
Youth career
1995–2000	UD San Fernando
2000–2003	Valencia
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2004	Valencia B	14	(1)
2004–2010	Valencia	119	(21)
2004–2005	→ Eibar (loan)	35	(5)
2005–2006	→ Celta Vigo (loan)	34	(4)
2010–	Manchester City	71	(10)
National team‡
2001–2002	Spain U16	6	(2)
2002–2003	Spain U17	20	(5)
2004–2005	Spain U19	14	(5)
2005	Spain U20	5	(4)
2004–2006	Spain U21	9	(7)
2006–	Spain	57	(15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:39, 18 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 May 2012

David Josué Jiménez Silva (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið xoˈswe xiˈmeneθ ˈsilβa]) (born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Spanish national team. Silva is capable of playing on the wing, as a traditional number 10, and sometimes as a supporting striker. A Spanish international since the age of 20 with over 50 caps, he was a member of the squads that won both the Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup. He spent six years of his professional career with Valencia CF, appearing in more than 150 games and winning one Copa del Rey, before moving in 2010 to Manchester City. Since joining City, his consistently excellent performances have earned the nickname "Merlin".^{[citation needed]}

Early life[link]

Silva was born in Arguineguín, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, to Fernando Jiménez, a former municipal police officer who eventually was responsible for the safety of the Valencia CF stadium, and Eva Silva. His father, Fernando, is Canarian while his mother, Eva, is of South Korean descent, where David's grandfather was part of the Korean diaspora to the Spanish island in the 60's. .^[2][3] Silva has two younger siblings, sister Natalia and brother Nando^{[citation needed]}. He is commonly called by the nickname Chino (Spanish for "Chinese") due to his physical appearance.^{[citation needed]}

Silva began playing football in the youth team of UD San Fernando, near Maspalomas. Originally, he played as a goalkeeper, before becoming a winger^[4] and mirrored his game around his footballing idol as a youth, Michael Laudrup.^[4] When he was 14, he received an offer to become a youth player at Valencia CF, which he accepted. He stayed in Valencia's youth set-up until he was 17.

Club career[link]

David Silva playing for Valencia

Valencia[link]

Silva made his professional debut in 2004–05, with Segunda División's SD Eibar, while on loan from Valencia, playing 35 league games and scoring on five occasions. In the following season, he was again out on loan, this time to Celta de Vigo, where he played 34 matches, scoring four goals. After two late substitute appearances, the first in a 2–0 home win over Málaga CF on 28 August 2005, Silva finished as an undisputed starter as the Galician side reached the UEFA Cup straight from the second-tier.

Silva returned to Valencia in the summer of 2006, becoming an automatic first-choice despite his young age (20). In two seasons combined, he only missed six matches and netted 14 goals (his first coming on 5 November 2006 in a 1–1 draw at RCD Espanyol). In August 2008, he extended his contract by five years, amidst interest of several Premier League teams.^[5]

After not appearing in the first three months of 2008–09 due to a chronic ankle ailment,^[6] Silva returned to the call-ups in mid-December. On 3 January 2009, he scored twice in a 3–1 home win over Atlético Madrid,^[7] still contributing with 19 matches (four goals) as the Che qualified for the Europa League.

In the 2009–10 season, Silva scored a career-best eight goals, as Valencia finished in third position and returned to the UEFA Champions League. On 15 April 2010, he scored a brace against Athletic Bilbao for a 2–0 home win,^[8] adding three assists in the 4–4 thriller at Werder Bremen for the Europa League's round of 16.^[9]

Manchester City[link]

2010–11[link]

David Silva pictured playing for Manchester City in April 2011.

On 30 June 2010, Manchester City announced that they had reached an agreement with Valencia over the transfer of Silva and that he would join the club on a four-year deal, prior to the start of the 2010–11 season.^[10] On 14 July, the Premier League side completed the signing^[11] and Silva was awarded the number 21 shirt, the same number he wore for Valencia and when playing for Spain. Manchester City had previously tried to sign Silva and his Valencia team-mate David Villa in 2008, but were put off when Valencia quoted a £135 million combined price tag on both players.^[12]

City manager Roberto Mancini mainly deployed Silva as a winger^[13] and later in a trequartista role in his first season.^[14] Silva made his Premier League debut on 14 August 2010 in a 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.^[15] He scored his first goal for the club on 16 September, eight minutes into the Europa League group match against Red Bull Salzburg.^[16] On 17 October, he scored his first league goal in a game against Blackpool, netting City's third goal in a 3–2 away win.^[17] In a 3–1 home win in the Europa League against Lech Poznań, he set up two goals for Emmanuel Adebayor.^[18] He made another assist slipping through Adam Johnson for Manchester City's third in a 3–1 away win against West Ham United.^[19] Erroneous media reports emerged suggesting Silva could return to Spain and cited homesickness and difficulty to adapt to the English game.^[20] His performances, however, impressed Manchester City supporters and won three Player of the Month awards from Manchester City in a row for October, November, and December in 2010.^[21]

On 12 February 2011, he was credited for the equalising goal in the 2–1 loss to rivals Manchester United when an Edin Džeko shot deflected off his back and into the net. On 2 March, he scored from twenty yards out in an FA Cup win (3–0) against Aston Villa. Three days later, he scored the only goal in Manchester City's win against Wigan Athletic. Silva netted the third goal in City's 5–0 rout of Sunderland on 3 April. On 25 April 2011, he started the game against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park and was replaced on 90 minutes by Dedryck Boyata in the 1–0 win for City. His assist to Yaya Touré against Everton at Goodison Park took Silva to 15 assists in all competitions for the season.^[22] Following his debut season in the Premier League, Silva has emerged as one of the league's finest playmakers. Carlos Tévez lauded him as "the best signing we (Manchester City) have made."^[23]

2011–12[link]

Silva began the 2011–12 season in fine form, scoring the third goal in City's 4–0 thrashing of Swansea City^[24] and was voted man of the match. Silva also scored the following week against Bolton Wanderers, and was named man of the match.^[25] Silva then set up two of Sergio Agüero's three goals in city's second home game against Wigan Athletic, after another magnificent display from Silva, Roberto Mancini compared Silva to fellow Spain internationals Xavi and Andrés Iniesta and said that Silva is "one of the best players in the world."^[26] On 1 October, Silva was awarded the Premier League Player of the Month for his outstanding performances and making it the first time ever that two Manchester City players have won the award in back to back months with Edin Džeko winning it the month before.

In the first Manchester Derby of the season at Old Trafford, Manchester City won 6–1, with Silva proving, yet again, to be instrumental in the Manchester City attack, scoring the fifth goal, setting up Edin Džeko's second with a chested volley pass through the United defense, and participating in the first two goals with excellent passing to James Milner to assist Mario Balotelli.^[27] On 25 October 2011, in a interview with a Spanish radio station, Silva revealed that he turned down FC Barcelona and Real Madrid so he could sign for City and that he wants to stay at the club for years. He commented, "Madrid and Barcelona are great teams, but I'm happy here and I would like to stay here for many years."^[28] Former City and England defender Earl Barrett said he is almost impossible to stop due to his ability to create space^[29] and Andy Cole, who mostly played for Manchester United, has stated that Silva "is a joy to watch."^[30] On 5 November, Silva scored his fourth goal against Queens Park Rangers. On 18 December, David Silva scored his fifth goal of the season against Arsenal, the game finishing 1–0 to City.^[31]

International career[link]

Silva has won both a European Football Championship and World Cup, as pictured here in 2010

Silva first represented Spain in the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland, scoring three goals. In 2006, he became an under-21 international and scored four goals during the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship; this was enough to earn him joint-fourth place in the goal ranking, alongside Italian striker Graziano Pellè.

Silva made his senior international debut in the 1–0 friendly home defeat to Romania on 15 November 2006, and continued to receive call-ups to the side after good contributions in his first games. On 22 August 2007, he scored his first two goals for Spain, netting twice in a 3–2 friendly win versus Greece, and was then called-up to the squad of 23 for UEFA Euro 2008.

In the semi-finals game versus Russia, Silva scored the third goal for Spain after a quick counter-attack in which Cesc Fàbregas delivered a low cross, and he sent the ball into Igor Akinfeev's goal with his left foot.^[32] In the final, he was involved in an incident with Germany's Lukas Podolski. After he pulled Podolski to the ground, the German approached Silva, which resulted in an angry exchange of words and a coming together of heads that the referee decided not to punish. Shortly afterward, Spanish coach Luis Aragonés substituted Silva for Santi Cazorla in an attempt to calm the tensions.^[33]

After appearing regularly during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification stages – Spain won all ten fixtures – Silva was also picked for the squad for the finals in South Africa. His participation would be, however, a small one, as the national team won the tournament: he started in the first match, a 0–1 group stage defeat against Switzerland, then played the last four minutes of the 1–0 win against Germany in the semi-finals.

On 11 August 2010, during an international friendly with Mexico, Silva scored two minutes into second-half injury time, ending the game with a 1–1 draw.^[34] In a Euro 2012 qualifier against Liechtenstein on 3 September 2010, Silva scored after 62 minutes, in a 4–0 away win.^[35] The following month, in the same competition, he scored through a rare header, as the national team downed Lithuania in Salamanca (3–1).

In Spain's first match for 2011, a friendly against Colombia on February 9, he came off the bench to score the game's only goal with just four minutes remaining, helping Spain to a hard-fought 1–0 win.^[36] He scored twice and provided one assist in Spain's 3–1 victory against Scotland in their final match of the Euro 2012 qualifiers. The win saw the Spaniards enter the tournament with a perfect qualifying record by winning all their group games.^[37] He scored the first goal in Spain's 2–2 comeback against Costa Rica, a friendly match where he came on as a substitute in the second half with Spain trailing 2–0.^[38] He once again scored in Spain's first friendly of 2012 against Venezuela to make the score 2–0 in a match that ended in a 5–0 win.

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 13 May 2012

International goals[link]

David Silva international goals: Last updated 1 January 2012.
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Goal	Result	Competition
2007–2008
1.	22 August 2007	Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece	Greece	2–2	2–3	International friendly
2.	22 August 2007	Toumba Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece	Greece	2–3	2–3	International friendly
3.	26 June 2008	Ernst Happel Stadion, Wien, Austria	Russia	0–3	0–3	UEFA Euro 2008
2009–2010
4.	5 September 2009	Riazor, A Coruña, Spain	Belgium	1–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	5 September 2009	Riazor, A Coruña, Spain	Belgium	4–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.	14 October 2009	Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0–1	2–5	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.	8 June 2010	Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain	Poland	2–0	6–0	International friendly
8.	11 August 2010	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico	Mexico	1–1	1–1	International friendly
9.	3 September 2010	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	0–4	0–4	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
10.	8 October 2010	Estadio El Helmántico, Salamanca, Spain	Lithuania	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
2011–2012
11.	9 February 2011	Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain	Colombia	1–0	1–0	International friendly
12.	11 October 2011	Estadio José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain	Scotland	1–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
13.	11 October 2011	Estadio José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain	Scotland	2–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
14.	15 November 2011	Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica	Costa Rica	2–1	2–2	International friendly
15.	29 February 2012	Estadio La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain	Venezuela	2–0	5–0	International friendly

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Valencia

• Copa del Rey: 2007–08

Manchester City

• FA Cup: 2010–11
• Premier League: 2011–12

Country[link]

Spain

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009
• UEFA European Football Championship: 2008
• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2004
• FIFA U-17 World Championship: Runner-up 2003

Individual[link]

• FIFA U-17 World Championship: Bronze Ball 2003
• Pedro Zaballa award: 2005
• Medalla de Oro de Canarias: 2010^[39]
• Manchester City Player of the Month (4):
  • October 2010
  • November 2010
  • December 2010
  • September 2011^[40]
• Manchester City Player of the Year: Runner-up 2010–11^[41]
• Premier League Player of the Month: September 2011^[42]
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2011–12
• Manchester City Player's Player of the Year: 2011–12

References[link]

External links[link]

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Transfermarkt profile
• David Silva career stats at Soccerbase
• David Silva – FIFA competition record
• Official website (Spanish)
• ESPN stats
• http://www.goal.com/en/people/spain/10425/david-silva