Pablo Zabaleta has said that while Lionel Messi is the best player he has ever played with, David Silva is up there with him in his top three.
Speaking to ESPN, the Manchester City legend reacted to the news about the Spaniard’s recent decision to retire from the beautiful game.
According to Pablo Zabaleta, David Silva was right in the same echelon as Lionel Messi in terms of the great player he has ever played with in his career.
Pablo Zabaleta says David Silva was ‘up there’ with Lionel Messi
The likes of Vincent Kompany, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez all paid tribute to the legendary midfielder, who was forced to hang up his boots after an unfortunate ACL injury.
Such odes have been a reminder of how special a footballer Silva was, not just at City but for every team he had played for.
So much so that Pablo Zabaleta has put David Silva in the same bracket as Lionel Messi in terms of the level of player he has played alongside.
“He changed the history of the club. When David arrived, he put City among the great teams. There were a lot of people who doubted him, because they thought he was a player who physically might not be able to cope with the pace and intensity of the Premier League, that maybe the amount of physical contact wouldn’t be good for him. But far from it. As soon as the ball rolled, you saw. You couldn’t get it off him; he never lost it. When he came, that was when City started to compete for important titles”, the Argentine said.
Pablo Zabaleta then said than alongside Lionel Messi, David Silva easily strolls into his list of the top three players he has ever shared the pitch with, saying, “You see him with Spain, Valencia and it’s amazing. You watch his goals, his plays and it’s truly magnificent. I would say he’s in the best three players I have worked with, without doubt. Maybe Messi is a case apart, but I would put him right up there. I enjoyed every training session with him, the games, those technical details.”
If this doesn’t sum up the retired icon’s genius, what does?
