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Ask any regular Manchester City watcher who their best player has been over the last five seasons, and a big proportion will tell you it has been David Silva.

No doubt Sergio Aguero's goal feats will earn him a few deserved votes, Yaya Toure's contribution will earn him plaudits, and popular men like Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta will also have their backers.

But there is a body of opinion, shared by this writer, that Silva is the greatest player ever to pull on a Blue shirt.

Colin Bell has held that distinction for many years, but the magical little Spaniard – a key man in two league titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup – has surely taken the mantle.

And yet, to the wider footballing world, Silva remains ignored – possibly the most overlooked footballer in history, although former United hero Paul Scholes is a contender.

It happened again at the weekend. Aguero rightly took the headlines for scoring five goals in 20 minutes, and equalling the Premier League record.

But for many who saw the full 90 minutes, Silva was the best player on show.

He has been credited with two assists to Aguero, and should be given the credit for Kun's first goal. His chip to the far post was a gem of vision and execution, but Fernandinho takes the “assist” for his cushioned header into Aguero's path.

Tasked with giving marks out of ten, I was tempted to make Silva man of the match – but bottled it, and went with the general notion that if you score five goals in a game, you have to get the award!

And yet BBC pundit Garth Crooks did not hand Silva a place in his Team of the Week.

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Silva has been, in terms of consistency, the best player in the league since he first graced these shores in 2010, and yet he has been nominated for the PFA player of the year award ONCE.

Now it seems he has been omitted from the 59-strong long list for the Ballon d'Or, even though Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney are included.

So why does he not get the credit? One reason is that he is such a shy, retiring type off the field. You rarely see him giving media interviews and never blowing his own trumpet.

The comparison with Scholes, in that regard is valid – the former United midfielder only ever made the PFA team of the year twice, to Silva's one.

You also cannot escape the fact that playing for City is a factor – despite being the best team in England for the past five years, other clubs still get more media attention.

Not that any of this will bother Silva too much. The thought of standing in the limelight, having to make an acceptance speech, would probably fill him with horror.

He will just keep flitting in the shadows, destroying teams with his quick feet and quicker mind – and City fans will continue to adore him.