David Silva gave up the Champions League and Lazio money for Real Sociedad. Seems like it’s nostalgia

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It seemed that the deal was about to be closed, but then rumors of interest from Qatar (Al-Sadd Xavi) and Valencia surfaced. Lazio got excited and demanded a decision from Silva within 24 hours so that in case of refusal to start looking for a replacement. And the next day, Sociedad announced the signing of the Spaniard.

“I really respect him as a player, but not as a person,” said Lazio President Igli Tare. In Rome, the footballer was expected for a medical examination and had already brought in a pen for signing in a pre-agreed contract, but Silva not only did not arrive, but also did not warn the “eagles” about the breakdown of the deal.

“There were contacts with Lazio, but also with Sociedad and other teams,” said Silva’s father. – There were no agreements [с «Лацио»]David was surprised by their reaction. Everyone can think as he wants. ” Whether the footballer really acted as ugly, as described in the Italian club, is unknown. One thing is clear – two factors influenced the Spaniard’s decision to move to Sociedad.

First, changeability. Even Fernando Jimenez said that his son could not agree with himself. “Once I asked him:“ If they [«Манчестер Сити»] will offer you to extend your contract for one year, why not agree? ” He replied: “Well, agree yourself!” One day he tells me one thing, the next – another. “

The second reason for returning to Spain is nostalgia. But not just in the whole country, but in a separate region. The fact is that Valencia’s pupil Silva spent his first bright season in big football not for bats, but for Eibar, which he was rented to in the 2004/05 season.

The 18-year-old insanely technical, but physically modest, David moved from the Basque Country in 2004 and instantly became his own in the team. In those years, “Eibar” was gathering dust in Segunda and scoring points due to tough and athletic football, so the appearance of a creative football player in the center of the field added another game option to the “gunsmiths”.

Swapping the noise and sun of Valencia for the cloudy and quiet Eibar, Silva made his club debut in September against Cordoba, after which he secured the full confidence of head coach Jose Luis Mendilibar and began the next 32 games at the start. The logical result of the streak was four goals scored. But even this was not the main thing.

Silva fell in love with the fans of the small club, and Mendilibar spoke of him not as an ordinary techie. “Yes, we have a technical guy from the Canary Islands in our team, but he has something else, – admired the boy Jose Luis. – The typical technical footballer never defends, you can easily get around him and he will stop and not return to the defense. But not Silva. ” This is how David proved and confirmed his efficiency.

That same season, the Spaniard took the first step towards being remembered as one of the most honest and positive footballers of his era. “Eibar” fought for an exit in the Example and in the next match played against the middle peasant – “Lleida”. Towards the end the score was 1: 1, the opponents played with nine, and Eibar aggressively attacked his goal. In the 92nd minute, Silva entered the goalkeeper from the corner of the penalty area and could bring the team a victory, but suddenly knocked the ball out of the field. The reason was the injury of an opponent – conscience overcame the sports fire in David’s soul. The match ended in a draw, Eibar took fourth place at the end of the season and did not advance to La Liga – the remaining from Alaves was three points.

“I think I did the right thing,” Silva defended. “The fans need to understand that I couldn’t shoot when the opponent was on the ground.” More persistently than the others in this situation, David was supported by Mendilibar, who for that act proposed to erect a monument to David. “This is a demonstration of fair play,” Lleida coach Miguel Rubio also praised Silva. At the end of the season, David won the Pedro Sabaglia Prize (a prize for maximizing the principles of fair play).