david silva

"He's a player that often looks like the only grown-up on the pitch" - Barney Ronay on David Silva

When I sat down to binge-watch the new Amazon Prime documentary All or Nothing, I was drowning in pre-conceptions. The behind-the-scenes look into Manchester City's title-winning 2017/18 season has triggered the first seismic shift in the tectonic plates of this fledgling Premier League, as fans and professionals agitate towards their respective standpoints. Fascinating, cringy, classless and compulsory viewing are just some of the jury's verdicts so far, and I don't think I need to tell you which came courtesy of their Portuguese rival.

Personally, I loved it. As a football fan, there's no better elixir to quench our thirst than taking a glance into the extra dimensions of the game. Multiple times a week we fixate on 90 minutes of football, but there's no denying that we are only engaging in the sport at its most superficial form. We focus on the feet of our heroes, and villains, whilst their psyche is speculated upon but rarely confirmed. Our insight into the minds of players and managers often come through a post-match interview diluted with PR spiel and then we re left to spend another week debating over who's annoyed and who's not.

It was the documentary's breaking of these lines that really caught my imagination. Being the fly-on-the-wall finally became a reality, and our wings took flight into Pep Guardiola team-talks, the City dressing room, and the personal lives of their squad. One particular personal life tapped into an emotion that I never thought a football documentary would, and that was David Silva.

It's hard to be a football fan and not hold a flicker of admiration for 'El Mago'. Even the most ardent Manchester United fan can admit that the Spaniard is a class act, and I have no problem (as a Chelsea fan) with saying that he is one of the best Premier League players of all time. His football is intelligent, aesthetic and measured in ways which are few and far between in the modern game. Everyone wants to be the star, but to the trained eye the metronome can be just as sexy.

Tick... tick... tick.........

Last December, Silva's life fell out of time. The 32-year-old's girlfriend Yessica gave birth to a son, Mateo, in a moment which would normally provide the perfect Christmas gift for a young family. This was not the case, however. The newborn Silva had arrived at only 23 weeks, 15 weeks earlier than the average, and was immediately engaged in a battle to stay alive. His parents lives were turned upside down, and his Dad was given leave by City to stay in Spain and by Mateo's side.

In an instant, football became insignificant. The infamous phrase 'it's only a game' lingered in the air before Guardiola snatched it and thrust it into the foresight of the world. His words of support for Silva were refreshing in a dystopian industry that is often bereft of human emotion. The documentary showed the team-talk before City's match against Tottenham Hotspur, when the Catalan boss is animated to the point of anger: "Today we have to win for one reason. We have to win for David Silva and his girlfriend Yessica."

Once Silva returned to the City squad, his performances didn't dip. From what we see, the differences in his dressing room behaviour were minimal. Yet, once the final whistle blew, his mind rushed back to reality and checking his mobile phone for news of his son became first priority.

One of the most poignant moments comes towards the end of the series. As City prepare to embark on their celebration tour of Manchester, and Guardiola brings the club players and staff into the video room for one last speech. He introduces a special message and steps aside to allow a video of Silva and Mateo to illuminate the room. He wishes his teammates well for the parade and apologises for his absence. The room is silent until the crashing applause. Several people are in tears and the insignificance of football has never looked clearer, even on the good days.

Whilst I'm of the opinion that some situations are better left private, the documentary gave a stage to an issue which football fans often overlook: footballers are humans with real families and real problems. For every David Silva, there are professionals all over the world going through similar, if not worse, personal situations and having to face up abusive fans on the terraces and on social media on a daily basis.

It's impossible to know everyone's background, but it should be a caution for those who log into Twitter to call an opposition player a 'c**t' or to send a death threat to their own player for scoring an own goal. The support of those that rallied around Silva's family was inspirational, to levels that were only beaten by the man himself. I'm never happy when another team wins the league, but his medal is priceless and will represent much more than the 2437 minutes spent on the pitch.

Silva's story had a happy ending. Yesterday, against Huddersfield Town, the Spaniard curled in his first free-kick goal with a cultured stroke of his left foot. For a second the world froze. The ball floated into the top corner, unthreatened by any guard of defence. Silva's face lit up into a beam as he directed his eyes into the stands. Staring back was Mateo: alive, healthy, and incredibly proud of his Dad.

David Silva: what a player, what a man.