David Silva will 'always be grateful' to Pep Guardiola
Man City take on Wolves on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 11.30am
Friday 24 August 2018 14:46, UK
David Silva will "always be grateful" to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after the premature birth of his son, and says Mateo's attendance on Sunday was "the best moment of my life".
Silva's son was born extremely premature in December 2017 and spent five months in hospital before being allowed to go home in May. The midfielder missed games around the same period to be with his newborn son and partner.
But with Mateo now at home and doing well, Silva has thanked Guardiola for his understanding during a difficult period, with his son present during Sunday's 6-1 win against Huddersfield in which the Spaniard scored a brilliant free-kick.
"Firstly, he [Guardiola] has been amazing with me," Silva told Laura Woods ahead of Manchester City's game against Wolves, live on Sky Sports Premier League on Saturday.
"With everything that happened to me, he gave me a lot of freedom, so I'll always be grateful to him.
"Secondly, inside the pitch, he makes things easier for you. He sees everything before it actually happens and that, as a player, helps a lot.
"It was very special [having Mateo at the Huddersfield]; the best moment of my life.
"When it all happened, I was only thinking about everything going well and I wished I could have him one day with me at the stadium, and it finally happened."
Sunday also marked Silva's 250th appearance for Manchester City, but the midfielder is still hungry for trophies, and is targeting the Champions League title.
"It's lots of games, I have been here for many years, it's my ninth season here, so I'm very happy for that," he added.
"I want to win more. When you win, it means you have done a good job. I wish we can win the Champions League, it's something that I really wish. And also win more Premier League trophies. That's why we train and work week in, week out.
"What matters to me is that at the end of the season, we have lifted a trophy and we have played well. That's what matters the most to me.
"Personally, I don't focus much about the statistics of goals and assists. I always want to improve, but I'm not worried about statistics.
"I don't think my style of football has changed that much. I did have to adapt to the style of football here, I used to play more outside and now I play more inside, but my style of football hasn't changed much."
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Silva also recently announced his retirement from international football with Spain, and with an international break coming up in less than two weeks, he will be spending the added break with Mateo.
"I am going to spend time with my family," he said. "I'm really looking forward to spend time with them. After all that happened, being able to enjoy with my family and my son, it's going to be great."
