Bernardo Silva is the heart of the Manchester City team. The agile midfielder is a perfect fit for Pep Guardiola’s fluid football the Spaniard adores him. His attack-minded approach and leadership skills have helped City to lift several important titles.
🔵 Bernardo Silva: “The Saudi League improvement has been massive, it’s because of the investment and from what we hear it’s not going to stop”.
🇸🇦 “Future in Saudi? For now I’m focused on City, very happy playing European football — which in my opinion is the highest level”. pic.twitter.com/fwmsO1xT5x
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 18, 2023
Bernardo Silva’s incredible prowess on the pitch has attracted the attention of various clubs around the globe. While European clubs have kept tabs on the Portuguese, teams from Saudi are reportedly the favorites to land Bernardo. This is in case, the Portuguese player decides to leave the Premier League.
The Saudi Pro League has grown in influence since the start of 2023. Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January 2023, there has been an embargo of foreign star players joining the league. Saudi’s incredible money pull is a key reason for the league’s attraction.
Bernardo Silva’s best scoring seasons for Man City:
◎ 2018/19: 13 goals
◉ 2021/22: 9 goals
◎ 2017/18: 9 goalsThe Benfica academy graduate scores against Sporting. 😏 pic.twitter.com/vTBA4l5ivG
— Squawka (@Squawka) February 15, 2022
Among other players, Bernardo Silva is also a key target for the Middle-Eastern League. While the 29-year-old is focused on his career in England, Bernardo admitted that the league has definitely caught his eye. The Portuguese player said:: “The Saudi League improvement has been massive, it’s because of the investment and from what we hear it’s not going to stop”. “Future in Saudi? For now I’m focused on City, very happy playing European football — which in my opinion is the highest level”.
The Saudi League’s improvements over the past couple of months have been exciting, according to the Portuguese. Bernardo Silva has pointed out that the huge investments into the league have been a driving factor for the same.
But the 29-year-old dismissed any reports of joining his former teammates Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez in the Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese feel that European soccer is still superior to the soccer played in the SPL.
Pep Guardiola has described Bernardo Silva as a ‘special player’ for Machester City
Fans and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believed that Bernardo Silva could leave the ‘The Cityzens’ during the summer transfer window of 2023. After all, the Portuguese had won the treble in the 22/23 season, and there wasn’t anything left for him to achieve.
🎙️ Pep Guardiola on Bernardo Silva: “He is one of the best players I have trained in my life. He’s special…” pic.twitter.com/AZ3TMJ2QGu
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 11, 2023
However, things took a sharp turn as Bernardo Silva extended his contract with the 9-time Premier League Champions until June 2026. Pep Guardiola joyfully expressed his happiness upon the announcement of his new deal.
The Spaniard said(via the official website of Man City), “Bernardo is so important for us, for me personally because of the relationship I have with him. Always I like to have relations. Tight relations with some players is possible, for the other ones is not because everyone has his own character, myself first. Bernardo is so special.”
According to Pep Guardiola, the 29-year-old is a highly adaptive player who could play in several different positions. The Spaniard also praised the defensive side of Bernardo’s play.
The Portuguese’s defensive prowess was clearly evident when he played left-back against Bukayo Saka at the Emirates Stadium in the 22/23 season. Pep Guardiola believes Bernardo’s loss would have hurt City offensively a lot, especially after the departures of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez.
