David Silva took the pitch for his 400th appearance for Manchester City against Bournemouth on Sunday.
The Spain international became the first player to reach a fourth century of games for the club in 34 years, when Paul Power reached the milestone in the last of his 11 years as a City player.
Silva joined City from Valencia in 2010 and has played a key role in a successful era, winning four Premier League titles, four League Cups and the FA Cup twice.
The 33-year-old is in the final year of his contract with City and has already said it will be his last with the club.
Coach Pep Guardiola has trusted him with the captain's armband, however, and he revealed his admiration for Silva ahead of the Premier League clash at Bournemouth.
“I admire a lot what he has done,” he said.
"What I admire the most is to play 400 games - almost 10 seasons here, doing what he has done, it is incredible.
“Big congratulations from me. Every City fan supports him - it is a privilege for everyone, what he has done in this club.”
And the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss admitted that he was surprised to Silva become such a success in the Premier League as he thought he would struggle to adapt.
Getty Images"The last season, he can help us play the way we want to play and try and make him happy," he added.
“He's one of the most incredibly intelligent players at moving the space. Everybody takes time but he’s very good in small spaces - one of best I’ve ever known.
“I thought he wouldn't succeed in England. He is hugely competitive. In the bad moments, how he reacts is fantastic.
“He's a technical player - not box to box and my image of English football back in 2010, I admit I thought he was going to suffer.
“I was happily wrong. That was my first impression. He played well from the beginning and he’s done it consistently ever since, for Roberto [Mancini], Manuel [Pellegrini] and me.
“His qualities - surviving the Premier League is not easy for that length of time, but he did it. He should be so proud of what he’s done.
“He has quality with the ball, but he has so much more than that. He's a winner. Four Premier League, plus a lot of domestic prizes.
“He's the same generation as Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and has helped this Club to be in a better position.
“Moreover, he’s a nice guy who is our captain. The players chose him. I’m not involved. They had to choose a captain to represent the whole team - it was their decision.”