David Silva comes out of retirement at 40 to join newly promoted Hong Kong side Supreme Sha Tin

David Silva, 40, has a club again. It is called Supreme Sha Tin, it went up to the Hong Kong Premier League this season and it has won one of its first four matches. The Spanish midfielder signs there three years after he ended his career at Real Sociedad.

The club broke the news on Wednesday, on Instagram: “It is completely mad! We are officially announcing that legendary Spanish midfielder, number 21, David Silva, is joining Supreme Sha Tin.” The player confirmed in a video: “I am very happy to be joining Supreme Sha Tin. I am really looking forward to coming to Hong Kong, to enjoying the culture, the people, the food, and of course the football.”

The injury that had closed the career

Silva had stopped in 2023, after three seasons at Real Sociedad, with an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee. The career record has not moved since: 436 matches and four Premier League titles with Manchester City, 125 caps for Spain.

An engine for a promoted side

What I will watch first is the build-up play: a player who keeps the ball under pressure buys time for his defenders and takes it away from the block opposite. Keeping the ball longer also means suffering for less of it. For a side learning the top flight, that is the rarest resource, and the first one Sha Tin adds with this signing.

The return will still be gradual. According to the South China Morning Post, as reported by Foot Mercato, the contract is short and the midfielder will travel to Hong Kong to resume training and rebuild match fitness step by step. The calendar already has a first date: Silva could make his debut on 18 October, against HKFC.