Few Spanish players have settled into English football quite like David Silva has and the Manchester City star is rightly considered by many to be one of the Premier League's greatest foreign imports.
The league was once known for its hard tackles and physical play but now, largely thanks to players like Silva, it is as recognised for the technical brilliance of the players that play in it.
"A wonderful football player and a charming boy," said Gary Lineker in words that are as close to the general consensus as you'll find, while Gary Neville said that he is "the best example of what a footballer should be".
"You can see his quality from the time he has spent in the Premier League," Pep Guardiola said. "He is one of few players who can play in a pocket and he's a master at attacking tight spaces."
The praise of Silva is nothing new, and a former City boss spoke highly of him too.
"Silva is on the same level as Xavi and Andres Iniesta," said Roberto Mancini, the Spaniard's coach when he arrived in Manchester as a World Cup winner in 2010.
"I was living with my parents, they were separating and it was the right time to leave Spain," Silva himself said.
The player said goodbye to Valencia and helped Manchester City's transition to speed up, becoming a key cog at the Etihad Stadium.
"He's at the top with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes," explained Thierry Henry, while Chris Sutton agrees with the comparison to the former Manchester United great, saying "they're not the centre of attention, but they focus on being better than the rest."
Pass by pass, Silva has spent nine seasons at City, paving the way for the existence of this current team.
He has 77 assists in England and only Cesc Fabregas (111) has more among Spaniards, while he has also netted 54 goals, second to only Fernando Torres' 85.
At 33, he would easily feature in the Premier League's top ten Spanish stars, with few having lasted as long as the Canary Islander.
In a league once dominated by muscle and madness, the diminutive Silva dropped the leather to the ground and began to play.
The three-time champion has conquered the Premier League, fighting in the mud but coming out unstained.
tropicalda
70
He is indeed one of the best attacking midfielders there is not only in the premier league but in the world...his passing, vision, finishing, movement nearly every thing is near perfect. He is gifted player, , his contribution to the team's success has been in the limelight lately and he has been receiving due credit for it with his performances standing out from the best midfielders available at their disposal and is being increasingly recognised for his support in key areas but players like him never played to hog the limelight but to play for the love of the sport itself and I am sure everybody acknowledges that, Even when City are having a bad day and are struggling, I still saw David Silva putting in a performance that was flawless... i will tag him as undisputed
Abbawaziri
55
I have to say he’s one of the best midfielders we have seen in the premier league after Fabregas then him, he’s just an exception he can create something out of nothing, he has all the abilities of a midfielder which any coach would want to have in his team. What a player!!!