Manchester City icon David Silva has offered a fascinating look back at one of the earliest turning points of his career, revealing how close he once came to joining Real Madrid before the club ultimately decided against signing him.
Speaking on El Camino de Mario, the podcast hosted by Mario Suarez, the now-retired Spaniard reflected on missed opportunities, big decisions and the move that shaped his legacy.
The conversation first touched on a hypothetical scenario. When asked whether he would have liked to wear Barcelona or Real Madrid colours during his career, Silva gave an honest and relatable response.
“Who wouldn’t want to play for Barça or Madrid?”
However, Silva was quick to ground the discussion in reality and emphasise that he has no regrets about how his career unfolded.
Real Madrid missed an opportunity
What will surprise many Real Madrid fans is Silva’s revelation that Los Blancos once had the chance to sign him long before he became a household name.
Looking back to his childhood, the former midfielder explained that he spent time training with the club during his early teenage years.
“When I was 12, I came to Madrid for a week of trials, but then they didn’t call me.”
David Silva, former Manchester City player
David Silva could have played for Real Madrid. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Rather than expressing bitterness, Silva showed maturity and empathy, acknowledging how difficult youth scouting can be.
He even drew parallels with another modern-day star whose talent was initially overlooked. Offering this perspective, he added,
“I’ve seen that something similar happened to Julian Alvarez. These things aren’t easy to deal with when you’re so young.”
Interestingly, Real Madrid’s interest resurfaced years later, once Silva had established himself as one of Europe’s most elegant midfielders.
The year 2010, in particular, was a period filled with speculation linking him to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Addressing those rumours, Silva admitted there was plenty of noise around a possible return to Spain.
“There were always rumours about Madrid, even Vicente said I was going to win the Ballon d’Or, but I signed for City. I don’t know if the interest was real, to be honest,” he concluded.