Image: Soccer Football – Champions League – Manchester City Press Conference – Naples, Italy – October 31, 2017 Manchester City’s David Silva during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
(Reuters) – Manchester City midfielder David Silva is keen to win his first Champions League title at a club he believes possesses a strong enough spine to claim Europe’s elite competition.
The 31-year-old has won every major English domestic trophy at City along with the World Cup and European Championships with Spain, but Europe’s biggest club trophy remains elusive as the side have yet to progress past the semi-finals.
City lead the domestic standings and their Champions League group after a flying start to the campaign and will be hoping to extend their 15-game unbeaten streak across all competitions when they travel to Napoli later on Wednesday.
“It would be amazing,” Silva told reporters on Tuesday. “I pray every night to win the Champions League with City. Hopefully we can win this year.
“We are playing really good football, beautiful football. We are playing well in all the lines. From the goalkeeper on, you can see it in every game.”
Silva, who joined City in 2010, added that negotiations were ongoing to sign a new contract and extend his stay at the Premier League club past 2019.
The Spaniard is the league’s leading assist provider this season with six in 10 games and has been crucial to City’s success, including their two Premier League titles, in more than seven years at the club.
City manager Pep Guardiola hailed Silva as a City legend and says he was eager to sign the playmaker at former club Barcelona.
“I believe it is impossible to play good if the ball doesn’t pass in the middle,” Guardiola said. “David is a master. He sits here and seems shy but he goes on the pitch with a huge personality. He is a legend for the club.
“It would have been amazing to have taken him at Barcelona but he was too expensive!”
Following the trip to Italy, City host Arsenal in the league on Sunday.
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)
Copyright 2017 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
