He is Manchester City's main man but he remains a man of mystery. The star player without an entourage or an ego, the closest thing to bling about David Silva is his surname.
When the former City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips came up with the nickname "Merlin" for the mercurial Spaniard last season, it could have been as much to do with his ability to perform the illusion of invisibility off the pitch as his wizardry on it.
Yet when the 25 year-old takes to the pitch against Manchester United at Old Trafford tonight, the invisible man will hold centre stage as the central figure in Roberto Mancini's team.
"David Silva is one of the best players in Europe, if not the world, and he could play for Real Madrid or Barcelona," admits Mancini, who will doubtless hope Spain's big two do not make moves to tempt the World Cup winner back home. "He has improved a lot in the last two years. I saw him in the Champions League a few years ago and it was incredible. He was with Valencia against Inter seven years ago and he was astonishing. You could see his potential then. I wanted to sign this guy for Internazionale. He kept me waiting!"
Silva has become the heartbeat of Mancini's team since his £24 million arrival from Valencia in June 2010, yet even those who deal with him daily know little about what makes him tick. Quiet, yet anything but shy, low-key and with a mischievous grin, Silva enjoys the quiet life with his girlfriend away from the temptations of Manchester.