David Silva ends retirement at 40 to play one match for Hong Kong's Supreme Sha Tin

David Silva is coming out of retirement at 40 to play one match for Hong Kong Premier League side Supreme Sha Tin, the Manchester City and Spain legend confirmed on Thursday — quickly moving to correct widespread reports that he had signed for a full season.

Silva had initially announced the move on Wednesday, but spoke to Spanish radio programme El Partidazo de COPE to set the record straight. “I am surprised because in the end it is only to play one match,” he said. “The news made it look like I had signed for a season and it has kept me busy all afternoon. It is a league match, but it is still just one match.”

The former Spain international retired in 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, bringing the curtain down on one of the most decorated careers in modern football. He explained that the appeal of the one-off appearance was personal as much as professional. “When they proposed it to me it seemed interesting because it is in Hong Kong, a place I really like. I have a friend there and I have been quite a lot. So, compete in one match and try to do well…”

Silva spent a decade at Manchester City, winning the Premier League four times and the FA Cup twice before departing for Real Sociedad in the summer of 2020. On the international stage, he was a central figure in Spain’s golden era, winning the 2010 World Cup and the European Championship in both 2008 and 2012. He earned 125 caps for his country, scoring 35 goals.

Pep Guardiola paid tribute to Silva when he retired, describing him as “the best I have seen playing in the pockets” and crediting him as one of the players who underpinned City’s era of dominance. “His impact not just at Man City, which was unbelievable, but every team he played for — Valencia, Eibar, national team,” Guardiola said at the time. “It absolutely was a pleasure to be his manager and see day in and day out the quality he had.”