David Silva Returns to Football With Hong Kong Club Supreme Sha Tin
David Silva has returned to professional football at the age of 40, signing for Hong Kong Premier League club Supreme Sha Tin in October 2026 after three years away from the game.
The former Manchester City and Spain midfielder had announced his retirement in 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury during his time at Real Sociedad. His move to Hong Kong opens an unexpected final chapter in a career packed with silverware.
Quick facts
- Silva has joined Hong Kong Premier League side Supreme Sha Tin.
- He retired in 2023 following an ACL injury at Real Sociedad.
- The playmaker scored 77 goals in 436 Manchester City appearances.
- He won 14 major trophies with City, including four Premier League titles.
- Silva earned 125 caps for Spain.
Silva has described his 2010 transfer to City as the defining call of his career. The Spaniard arrived from Valencia for £24 million shortly after helping Spain win the World Cup in South Africa.
He spent 10 seasons in Manchester and became one of the key figures in the club’s transformation into a dominant English force. Silva said the decade was exceptional and stressed that City supporters made him feel at home.
Barcelona had previously tried to take him to Camp Nou after his impressive Euro 2008 campaign with Spain. Then-Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain contacted Silva, but Valencia were unwilling to sell one of their leading young players.
That stance changed when Valencia’s financial problems intensified. Silva and David Villa, known as El Guaje, were both sold two years later, with Villa joining Barcelona while Silva headed for England.
Silva had entered Valencia’s academy as a 14-year-old in 2000 and developed into one of Spanish football’s most refined midfielders. Real Madrid were also regularly linked with him before his City switch.
Roberto Mancini’s persistence proved decisive. Silva revealed that the City manager was calling him frequently from November 2009, and by the time he returned from the 2010 World Cup, he had already set his mind on Manchester.
The Canary Islands-born playmaker also took pride in reaching 125 appearances for Spain, particularly because many of those caps came before City became the global powerhouse they are today.
