David Silva has signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City.
The Spanish playmaker, nicknamed 'Merlin' by his club teammates, has been an influential figure in City's FA Cup and Premier League wins over the past two seasons.
Silva, 26, joined from Valencia in 2010 for £24m having played for Spain at their victorious European Championship and World Cup campaigns in 2008 and 2010 respectively.
He will later elaborate on his new deal when he joins manager Roberto Mancini for the pre-match press conference ahead of facing Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
“I’m very pleased because I’ve been here for two years now and I feel very happy here at the club, in the city and with all the people. So now I’m delighted to be extending my contract and being here really does feel just like home for me,” he beamed.
“We’ve won the Premier League title and two other trophies too, and the team is growing and we are now aiming at the Champions League and so that also is another reason to want to stay here and try and win it. As I said, I feel very comfortable here and I want to try and win trophies like those.
“These last two years have gone very well and so let’s hope that the next five go as well or even better. The fans have always given me their support since I arrived here, and recently they‘ve been wanting me to sign, so hopefully this goes someway to thanking them for the affection they’ve shown towards me, something which also helped me decide to put pen to paper.”
The Arguineguín-born Silva follows key defensive players Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany in committing their long-term future to the Premier League champions.
Silva has played for City 107 times and has scored 14 goals for the club. He has also been capped 67 times by La Roja during the squad's domination of international football.