The sheer breathtaking beauty of David Silva in two acts

The things he can do with a football are heavenly.

It is no exaggeration that in most other eras of the game, he would be described as the best player in the world. As it is, he is somewhat cursed to share a sport with Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta and of course Lionel Messi. Still, we can bask in the undiluted beauty of his game. As a pure playmaker, he can perhaps hold a candle to the Argentine genius of Camp Nou, and that says it all. David Silva is in his peak years, and the English game is blessed and honoured to host his artistry. Against Slovakia, El Mago produced two moments of play so divine that they ought to be framed and exhibited in the Louvre. The diminutive Spaniard makes football art and on Saturday, the people of Oviedo were his grateful patrons. There was the assist for Jordi Alba's fifth-minute header that opened the goalscoring for the Iberians. It was an accomplished finish no doubt, but rather like a full-stop after a line of Shakespeare, it only served to complete pure poetry. In weight, vision, angle and audacity, the pass was utterly sublime. https://twitter.com/CatalanEdition/status/640252146366156800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://twitter.com/FiGo7Cr7/status/640236535825100800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Then there was a dribble of such heart-stopping beauty that it is probably for the best that it came to nothing. Had it resulted in a goal, the stadium officials would have no option but to switch off the footlights, request the fans to leave the ground and cancel football for good. https://twitter.com/ManCityPhotos/status/640243184858177537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw We don't appreciate David Silva. None of us do. Not even Manchester City fans who witness him produce these moments on a weekly basis. His ethereal greatness is too deft and light for this generation to comprehend. We can only sit and stare, bewildered.