David Silva’s dream farewell to Manchester City would have been to play his last-ever game in the Champions League final in Istanbul in May.
But there is a very real possibility that his final appearance for the club could have already come and gone; a midweek FA Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday in a half-empty Hillsborough.
The 34-year-old is leaving City and will not be starting a new season whatever happens beyond the Covid-19 shutdown. After 10 years and more than 400 appearances in England, he has decided that he has given everything he can.
Pep Guardiola believed in him enough to have played him 125 times in the last two-and-a-half years. Two of those seasons ended in Premier League title triumphs. Guardiola also still believed the playmaker could help his side for another year and assist with the transition of Phil Foden into becoming his heir, but Silva says it is the right time to go.
“It completes the cycle. It’s a nice round figure. I can never see myself playing against City for another team. So 10 years, that’s it,” he said at the start of the campaign.
Like many other soon-to-be free agents in Europe, Silva’s current deal runs out at the end of June. He has been free to talk to other clubs since January with plenty of interest in such a talented player who is still able to offer quality.
But uncertainty remains over when English and European football will resume following the enforced shutdown after the coronavirus outbreak, and exactly what that will mean to players soon to be out of contract.
The Premier League insists it remains its objective to complete the season with 92 fixtures still outstanding, although any dates to try to squeeze them in remain “tentative". UEFA, meanwhile, is meeting on Thursday to discuss completing the Champions League and Europa League campaigns with a date of August 29 for the final pencilled in.
It’s likely that if both competitions are completed, which remains the desire, the schedule will almost certainly move beyond the time when current contracts run out, meaning that Silva would likely need to sign a short-term deal.
Getty Images
City are believed to be keen for him to stay to see out the season and, while the Premier League title is just a question of rivals Liverpool crossing the line, the chance of a first-ever Champions League success is still a possibility.
Silva’s representatives have been discussing offers from other clubs, including those from MLS and Japan, although it is understood that a move to former club Valencia is not being considered.
David Beckham’s new club Inter Miami are one possibility although they have also been linked with the marquee signing of Real Madrid and Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez. Silva has also talked in the past about a return to his boyhood club Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria where he was born.
But all moves are on hold, pending an update from FIFA and the Premier League on how the issue of out-of-contract players should be handled with that resting on advice for the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
That fairytale Champions League goodbye still remains a possibility. Silva has won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five League Cups in his time at City in an enviable career that also includes a World Cup success and two European Championship titles with Spain.
The one medal missing from his collection remains a Champions League one. “I pray every night to win the Champions League with City,” he has said previously.
This, then, is his last chance. With a first-leg victory away to Real Madrid secured back in February and, under two-time winner Guardiola, it may be the best chance of his career with City largely disappointing in Europe other than a semi-final appearance in 2016.
But the chances of Silva getting to say his goodbyes in front of a packed Etihad Stadium for a Premier League clash, just as recent legends Pablo Zabaleta, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany have in recent years, remain slim with matches likely to be played behind closed doors for some time.
He does qualify for a testimonial, having been at the Etihad for a decade but it is understood that he has not asked for one and the pandemic would make planning impossible at this stage.
Silva notoriously shuns the limelight for a quiet life and might prefer to disappear into the sunset without any fuss. City fans have other ideas for a player many see as the greatest-ever player in the club’s 126-year history.