David Silva has joined Real Sociedad on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City. The Spanish midfielder had been set to join Lazio, but the La Liga side made a late move to hijack the deal.
Lazio had reportedly agreed a three-year contract with Silva and booked medicals for the players in Rome, only for Real Sociedad to contact the World Cup winner and secure his signature. The Serie A side have yet to comment publicly but are thought to be extremely unhappy with the turn of events.
Real Sociedad
(@RealSociedadEN)ℹ️ OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT| We are delighted to announce the signing of @21lva. The player joins Real as a free agent until June 30, 2022.#WelcomeDavid #AurreraReala pic.twitter.com/PtqIkt4nJR
“We are delighted to announce the signing of @21lva [David Silva]”, the Basque club tweeted. “The player joins Real as a free agent until June 30, 2022 #WelcomeDavid.” Unlike Lazio, Real Sociedad could not offer Silva Champions League football, but they will feature in the Europa League after finishing sixth in La Liga.
Silva has found his new club on the day it was announced that he will be honoured with a statue at the Etihad Stadium. The 34-year-old will also have a training pitch named after him with a mosaic alongside it at the club’s academy complex.
The City chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, said: “David Silva is a transformational player – a quiet leader who has acted quietly and deliberately and inspired everyone around him, from the youngest academy player to his senior teammates over the past 10 years.
“He has put a stamp on the team, on this club, its history and even the Premier League as a whole. In doing so he has been instrumental to the beautiful football philosophy you see today. He was the start of it.”
Silva will join his former City captain and teammate Vincent Kompany in having a statue at the ground. The club announced last year the Belgian would receive such an honour and it is planned for both statues to be unveiled in 2021. The mosaic at the training pitch will celebrate Silva’s starring role in City’s stunning 6-1 defeat of Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2011.
Mubarak added: “As with Vincent before him, David’s statue will act as a lasting reminder of the wonderful moments that he gave us, not only as an incredible footballer, but as an inspiring ambassador who represented this football club with great dignity at all times.”
Silva’s City career came to an unhappy end with Saturday’s Champions League quarter-final defeat by Lyon in Lisbon. He made 436 appearances and won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and two FA Cups after joining from Valencia in 2010.