Articles

The Gods of the Canary Islands: In the Footsteps of Pedri and David Silva

Written by Rik Tuinstra, 02 May 2023

Stunning volcanic landscapes, heavenly white sandy beaches and a perfect climate. The sunny Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean is not only a fantastic holiday destination for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life but also for those who love football. Two massive clubs and a plethora of football stars: Welcome to the islands of eternal spring.

The Gods of the Canary Islands: In the Footsteps of Pedri and David Silva

David Silva: The God of Gran Canaria

Ask Canarios to name the island’s best player and they will all give you the same answer: David Josué Jiménez Silva, simply known as David Silva. Manchester City’s former star player was born in the southern fishing village of Arguineguin. It looks like a typical Canary village, but nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the town’s population of around 2,500, it’s been a hotbed for talented footballers, including former Spanish international Juan Carlos Valerón and David’s childhood friend Aythami Artiles, who played over 250 games for UD Las Palmas. If you ask David’s grandparents for the town’s secret: The sea and the daily portion of fresh fish.

Bar Playa El Boya

One of the places you can eat fresh fish is at Bar Playa El Boya in Arguineguin. A beach restaurant that is more than proud of its local hero David Silva. The walls, and even the ceiling, are filled with framed shirts and pictures of El Mago.

CD Arguineguin

David Silva first laced his football boots on the football pitch of CD Arguineguin. He was so good, that the club wanted him to play with older teams. Officially, this was not allowed because David was underage. However, the club found a ‘sneaky’ solution: The young David would play under the registration form of an older good friend of his, who with the same haircut looked suspiciously similar to David. The football pitch of CD Arguineguin is on Calle Alcalde Paco Gonzalez, in a lovely location next to the Atlantic coast.

Amadores Beach Club

Want to enjoy the hot climate in luxury? David Silva has his own sophisticated beach club, which includes a spa, two restaurants, swimming pools, hot tubs, bars and many deckchairs where you can easily pass time on a sunny day in the nearby village of Puerto Rico. You can even rent a private cabin, with the full package, but it will cost you an arm and a leg.

Bodega Tamerán

David Silva also has his own vineyard on Gran Canaria, in the hills of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, far above sea level at a height of approximately 700 metres. Unfortunately, the bodega is currently not open for visitors and the chance of getting your hands on a renowned bottle is also slim given the small supply and huge demand.

Estadio Gran Canaria

With a capacity of 32,000, Estadio Gran Canaria is the Canary Islands’ biggest stadium. It’s the home ground of UD Las Palmas, a club that is competing for promotion to La Liga. The club was founded in 1949 in an attempt to keep the islands’ most talented players on Gran Canaria. That goal has not necessarily come to fruition, but the club has developed many big Spanish talents such as FC Barcelona’s Golden Boy Pedri, Villarreal’s wonderkid Yeremy Pino and the winger Vitolo, who’s made twelve appearances for Spain.

Estadio Gran Canaria, located in the city of Las Palmas, opened in 2003. At the time, it still had a running track but luckily that has been removed and replaced with stands. It’s a beautiful open stadium with canary yellow and bright blue seats. From the top rows, you also get a view of the apartments that surround the stadium.

Outside the stadium, you will find a statue of David Silva, who never even played for UD Las Palmas himself and moved to Valencia CF when he was fourteen. It’s definitely not as beautiful as his statue in Manchester, but it is still a nice tribute to the pride of Gran Canaria. Perhaps with the dream that El Mago will play in the shirt of Pio-Pio someday soon.

Parque del Estadio Insular

The fans of UD Las Palmas left the old Estadio Insular, where the club played between 1949 to 2003, with an aching heart. It’s the stadium where UD Las Palmas experienced its greatest achievements, with a second-place finish in the Spanish top flight as the pinnacle in 1969. The stadium was left abandoned for eleven years but in the meantime, it has turned into a beautiful park. Some of the stands have been kept and decorated with flowers. Murals of renowned former players have been given a new life and the old facade now acts as the park’s fence. A more beautiful second life for a stadium is hard to find.

Pedri: The God of Tenerife

David Silva is the God of Gran Canaria, but Pedri is the God of the neighbouring island of Tenerife. The two islands are big rivals and it still pains the people of Tenerife that Barça’s Golden Boy started his career at UD Las Palmas and not at CD Tenerife. Pedri lived in the coastal town of Bajamar until he was three and then moved a couple of kilometres inland to Tegueste, where he played for the local team CDAFB Tegueste on Campo Futbol Tegueste. It was also the boyhood club of Omar Mascarrell (FC Elche) and former Barcelona winger Jeffrén.

Pedri’s family restaurant Tasca Fernando

A couple of decades ago, Pedri’s grandparents, Fernando Senior and Candeleria, opened the restaurant Tasca Fernando in Tegueste. In 2005, Pedri’s parents took over. Father Fernando (Junior) was behind the bar, Mother Maria was cooking in the kitchen and their son Pedrito ate his favourite Croquetas de Pedri, made from tuna. Nowadays, Pedri’s uncle, Jose Luis, can usually be found behind the bar because Mom and Dad are regularly watching their son’s games in Barcelona.

In 1993, before Pedri was born, his granddad started the first official Barcelona fan club in the village. Every week, a young Pedri watched the FC Barcelona of Lionel Messi, idol Andrés Iniesta and Tenerife’s other local hero, Pedro. To this day, there are still dozens of fans who come to the restaurant to watch Blaugrana play weekly. The restaurant is, nowadays, also more reminiscent of a museum, with family photos of five generations and shirts of Pedri on the walls.

Plaza de San Marcos

There’s a special statue on the Plaza de San Marcos in Tegueste. Not one of Pedro González López (Pedri’s full name), but of his great uncle Antonio González, who was the town’s postman for more than 50 years. With his backpack on, he is eternalised on the square, where a young Pedri regularly used to play football with his friends. Perhaps there will be another statue unveiled in the future, but then of another famous family member.

Bajamar

Pedri also loved going to the coastal town of Bajamar with his brother and dad. They would listen to the sound of the waves, play football on the local pitch or beach and swim in the natural pool that is filled with water from the Atlantic Ocean.

Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López

CD Tenerife is the other big club from the Canary Islands, located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The club where former Bayern Munich striker Roy Makaay played for two years in the 1990s before he would shine at Deportivo La Coruña. El Tete has been playing their home games in the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López (capacity: 22,824) since 1925. It’s a beautiful arena with steep stands in the city centre. The highlight is the old coral-red entrance of the stadium on Avenida de San Sebastián.

Estadio Antonio Domínguez Alfonso

Another special stadium in Tenerife is the home ground of Club Deportivo Marino, which plays in the Spanish fifth tier. The Estadio Antonio Domínguez Alfonso is located in the popular seaside resort of Playa de las Américas. From the main stand, you have a noteworthy view of the island’s southern mountains.

Images: Shutterstock