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Bernardo Silva is much than a footballer. He’s a time-travelling, shapeshifting superhero. He moreover looks for illustration a superhero – a nine-volt artillery of a man doing conflict pinch feral giants connected nan pitch. In 55 years of watching shot I’ve ne'er seen anybody aliases thing for illustration him. For nan past decade I’ve been fortunate capable to watch him turning retired week in, week retired for my club, Manchester City. And now it’s clip to opportunity goodbye.
Some footballers are celebrated for having played successful virtually each position connected nan field. James Milner, John O’Shea and Phil Neville travel to mind. They thin to beryllium solid, stolid types, arsenic reliable arsenic they are unimaginative.
Silva is successful a sphere of his own, though, erstwhile it comes to versatility. Not only is he supremely skilful, he often plays successful each position successful a azygous match. Occasionally he moreover plays successful each position successful a azygous move. He’ll cod nan shot from nan keeper, nan Lisbon Beckenbauer and nan astir improbable libero connected earth. As nan shot is recycled successful defence, he’ll popular up astatine right-back. More recycling, and he’s now nan playmaker extraordinaire, turning connected a sixpence for nan eye-of-a-needle, defence-splitting pass. More recycling. Then he pops up connected nan helping to curl an inswinging transverse into nan backmost post. By nan clip nan shot gets half-cleared to nan separator of nan punishment area, Bernardo will beryllium location to blast a changeable precocious and wide into nan crowd.
To beryllium adjacent location person been awesome goals – nan curler into nan apical area against Arsenal, nan screamer against United, nan astonishing volley against Birmingham successful nan FA Cup wherever he can-cans nan shot into nan nett (it’s specified a one-off that fans statement whether it’s a volley, half-volley aliases a changeable that transcends language). Then location are nan hugely important goals – nary much truthful than nan 2 against Real Madrid successful nan 2023 Champions League semi-final. And nan astonishing number of headers for a man of his tallness (he is simply a head-tennis genius).
His stats aren’t outstanding. He won’t beryllium remembered for nan number of goals aliases assists (76 goals and 77 assists successful 459 appearances). But he will beryllium for his astonishing grace, immense intelligence, nan expertise to find abstraction wherever nary exists, to hit men pinch shimmies truthful subtle you don’t spot them, and to dribble done ceramic walls. Most of each he’ll beryllium remembered for that superhuman double engine. The sheer stamina. He ne'er seems to tire, ne'er wants to beryllium substituted, is hardly ever injured. Bernardo is 1 of life’s awesome endurers. In City’s 2-1 location triumph complete Liverpool successful 2019 he ran 13.7km, nan top region recorded successful a Premier League match. If he hadn’t been a world-class footballer, he could person been a samurai.
When it came to Manchester, he besides endured. Every play he told america he wanted to leave, but that wasn’t because he didn’t emotion us. It was conscionable because he and his family wanted sunnier climes. In nan end, though, Manchester and City won out. Until now.
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For 109 glorious games, Bernardo played successful midfield alongside his namesake David. The original magician and his prodigy. This was Pep’s premier pocket-size era. Guardiola didn’t want players who could embarrass nan guidance by putting nan shot done opponents’ legs, he wanted players who could put themselves betwixt opponents’ legs.
We utilized to singing to nan Spandau Ballet classic: “Who needs Gold? Gold! We’ve sewage 2 Silvas, you know. David and Bernardo! We’re indestructible!” And we were. In nan era of nan 2 Silvas, City became nan first and only Premier League squad to unafraid 100 points successful a play and nan first and only to triumph a home cleanable expanse of trophies. With 1 Silva they past secured a treble of league, FA Cup and Champions League and went connected to became nan first squad to triumph 4 successive Premier League titles.
My friend BriceyG and I person a nickname for Bernardo that shows our age. To us, he was Schnorbitz, a tribute to Bernie Winters’ adorable dog. In a way, it couldn’t person been little suitable. Schnorbitz was a huge, lumbering, slobbering Saint Bernard. But successful different measurement it was perfect. Bernardo could dribble conscionable arsenic good arsenic Schnorbitz, and location has ever been thing puppyish astir him.
He’s cute, fun, lovable – erstwhile he likes you. There are endless videos of City players carrying him astir for illustration a doll, aliases chucking him into a excavation because it amuses them. But he tin besides bite. Rivals would emotion him to play for them, but they can’t guidelines him erstwhile he’s playing for us. He’s maestro of nan tactical foul, nan sly nudge, and he has been known to fto his footwear linger. Against Brentford a mates of weeks ago, he fought pinch Nathan Collins and I genuinely feared for nan 6ft 4in defender. “Bernardo does person a inclination to rile opponents,” nan commentator said, admiringly. And his lingua tin beryllium conscionable arsenic crisp arsenic his tackle. When asked successful 1 video why he hadn’t been training successful nan gym, Bernardo said: “I don’t do gym. That’s for nan guys who don’t cognize really to play pinch their feet.”
Perhaps he was astatine his spikiest erstwhile City formed a defender of honour aft Liverpool won nan convention successful July 2020. He was nan only City subordinate who refused to clap nan recently crowned champions. When nan cameras homed successful connected him, it turned retired he had a mug successful his hand. Cupofteagate was a succès de scandale that assured him fable position astatine City. Afterwards he explained himself successful existent Bernardo style. “In my opinion, it’s a benignant of a hypocrisy. It’s not a contented we person successful Portugal. If they want to do it, they tin do it, but I wasn’t going to clap Liverpool because that’s not really I observe defeat. When I triumph a title, I don’t request anyone other to clap for me.”
In his last play astatine City he’s been skipper and led a caller squad to triumph successful nan League Cup and FA Cup. Again, his numbers haven’t been thing to constitute location astir (three goals and 5 assists), but nan only point this proves is that stats do lie. He’s leaving astatine his peak. Never has he been much omnipresent than complete nan past 9 months. This play he’s not only been undroppable, he’s been virtually unsubstitutable. My defining representation of Bernardo 2025-26 is him flying done nan aerial to hit Arsenal’s Viktor Gyökeres (6ft 2in) to a gravity-defying, perchance match-winning clearance. This was nan header that prompted Erling Haaland to show him: “You were for illustration fucking Cannavaro.”
For Pep, Bernardo was much than a footballer he admired, much than a subordinate he situation not drop, much than an obsession. For Pep, Bernardo was an addiction. He put it champion past December aft City hit West Ham 3-0. “Bernie’s my weakness. My favourite one,” he said. Who americium I to disagree pinch Pep?
