Manchester City‘s legend David Silva has shocked followers of football after he decided to sign for Real Sociedad instead of Lazio which was his most likely destination.
The 34-year-old Spanish midfielder who spent ten years of his football career in the Premier League with Manchester City was always touted to join Italian club Lazio after his retirement from Manchester City. The deal was said to have reached an advanced level as of the time Manchester City crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-finals stage of the competition on Saturday.
According to reports, Lazio had already agreed on a three-year deal with the representatives of David Silva, and the football icon was expected in Rome for his medical which would have been the final stage of the process.
Reports say the Italian club was ready to offer David Silva €4 million euros per year in a three-year deal, a private jet which would fly him to see his family whenever he wishes, dinner with the club’s director of sport, an apartment in the heart of Rome, and become one of the highest-paid players at the club.
Despite all these juicing offers, David Silva decided to return to Spain in what was termed as “shocking” because Real Sociedad never made any noise about their negotiation with the representatives of Silva, only to announce on Monday that it was a done deal.
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
— Real Sociedad (@RealSociedadEN) August 17, 2020
Real Sociedad’s deal with David Silva
Real Sociedad returned Silva to Spain on a free transfer in a dramatic fashion. The former Valencia star who was touted to join Lazio after retiring from Manchester City signed a two year deal with Real Sociedad instead.
Though the Spanish club didn’t give further details about the deal, it was confirmed that the Spanish football icon would wear the number 21 jersey at the club.
“Real Sociedad has reached an agreement with David Silva for the Canarian footballer to play for the Txuri Urdin team for the next two seasons, until June 30, 2022,” the club’s statement said.
“The player, who arrives on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City, will in the near future be incorporated into pre-season with the first team.”
Real Sociedad’s site crashed for Silva
According to reports, immediately Real Sociedad took to their verified Twitter handle on Monday evening to confirm that the former Manchester City star has joined the club, fans of the club began to rush to the club’s site for details.
The unprecedented amount of traffic the site experienced within a very short period of time forced the site to crash before it was brought back online.
Ten years of David Silva at Manchester City
David Silva spent 10 of his football career at Manchester City, played a prominent role at the club, and served as the club’s captain until his last contract with the club expired this summer. The 34-year-old midfielder decided to move closer to his home country as he starts to wind down his illustrious football career.
Before he left the club, David Silva played 436 matches for Manchester City. In those games, the Spanish midfielder scored 77 goals and made 140 assists.
His effort at the club in the last 10 years was not in vain as he was able to win four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and three Community Shields before he bowed out of the club.
