In March 2007, Silva signed his first professional contract, agreeing to a five-year deal with Sporting. In July, after spending the final two months of the season playing with the reserve team, he was officially promoted to the main squad by manager Paulo Bento ahead of the upcoming campaign. He made his Primeira Liga debut on 17 August, taking the field as a late substitute in a 4–1 home win against Académica de Coimbra; on 12 December, after appearing as an unused substitute in several league and European matches, he made his first professional start and Champions League debut in a 3–0 victory over FC Dynamo Kyiv. Four days later, he made his first start in the league in a 2–1 win at C.S. Marítimo.