*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:36, 25 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:35, 21 March 2024 (UTC)
Silva came through
Benfica's youth academy. He began playing for
Benfica B in 2013 and was promoted to the first-team in 2014, playing a few minutes with the latter. He was on loan at the
Ligue 1 side
Monaco during the 2014–15 season, with Les Monégasques making the move permanent in winter 2015. After winning the
league title with them in 2017, he was signed by English club
Manchester City for a reported fee of £43.5 million. He subsequently won the Premier League and
EFL Cup in
his first season in England, following this up with a
domestic treblethe following season. He had a significant role in City becoming the first men's team in England to win a domestic treble, being named
Manchester City's Player of the Year in 2019 and being part of the
PFA Premier League Team of the Year. Afterwards, Silva was listed among the 30-man shortlist for the
Ballon d'Or. In
2020–21, he helped Manchester City reach their first
UEFA Champions Leaguefinal, and was an integral part of the side who sealed a first-ever
continental treble in
2022–23.
On 19 October 2013, Silva made his debut for Benfica at the age of 19, in a
2013–14 Taça de Portugal third round 1–0 away victory against
Campeonato Nacional de Seniores club C.D. Cinfães, coming out of the bench in the 80th minute.[8] His good performance for Benfica B in the
2013–14 Segunda Liga earned him the league's Breakthrough Player of the Year award.[9] He was a member of Benfica's domestic
treble-winning team of the
2013–14 season, playing only 31 minutes in a total of three matches.[10][11]
Monaco
On 7 August 2014, Silva joined
Monaco on one-year loan deal.[12] He made his debut on 17 August in a Ligue 1 away match against
Bordeaux, replacing
Lucas Ocampos in the second half.[13] On 21 September, he made his first start, in a 1–0 home win against
Guingamp.[14] On 14 December, he scored the only goal of a home win against
Marseille.[15]
On 20 January 2015, Benfica announced that Silva's economic and sports rights had been sold to Monaco for €15.75 million;[16] he signed a contract for Monaco that would expire on 30 June 2019.[17] On 10 April, he scored twice in a 3–0 away win against
Caen.[18] On 10 August 2015, Silva extended his contract by one year, tying him to the club until June 2020.[19]
In the
2016–17 Champions League group stage away match against
CSKA Moscow on 18 October 2016, Silva scored Monaco's equalizer in the 87th minute to ensure that the match finished in 1–1 draw.[20] On 15 January 2017, he scored Monaco's last two goals in a 4–1 away win over Marseille to help Monaco move to the top of the Ligue 1 table for the first time since Week 5 of the current Ligue 1 season.[21] The following 29 January, Silva scored an added-time equaliser in the 1–1 draw against reigning league champions
Paris Saint-Germain at the
Parc des Princes, putting his team on top of the league.[22] He finished the 2016–17 season with 8 goals and 9
assists in the league and 11 goals and 12 assists in 58 matches across all competitions.[23][24]
Manchester City
2017–2021: Domestic success and European final
The calibre of his performances against Manchester City for Monaco in the UEFA Champions League knockout legs in the 2016–17 season was noted by head coach
Pep Guardiola and his backroom staff.[25] On 26 May 2017,
Manchester City confirmed the signing of Silva on a five-year contract after passing his medical tests. Although the transfer fee remains undisclosed, it has been reported to amount to €50 million (£43.5 million), which could reach €70 million with add-ons.[26] Silva officially joined the club on 1 July 2017, ahead of the
2017–18 season.[27]
On 13 February 2018, Silva scored his first
Champions League goal for the City in a 4–0 away victory against
Basel in the first leg of the round of 16 stage.[28] On 5 March, Silva scored the solitary winning goal against Chelsea at home – a key win which put them only three wins away from winning the Premier League title.[29] He established himself as a consistent performer, playing the most matches of any City player in the season up to the end of February 2018. By the end of the season, he had played for Manchester City 53 times in all competitions – the most of any City player that season[30][31] and helped them to a record 100 points in the Premier League and the EFL Cup.[32]
Silva made 51 appearances for Manchester City during the
2018–19 season, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists in all competitions.[33] On 24 April 2019, Silva scored the opening goal for City against
Manchester United in the
Manchester Derby, and the 2–0 win at
Old Trafford put his team on top of the league.[34] Silva's consistent and influential performances helped his team to win Premier League title, filling in
Kevin De Bruyne's position who missed the majority of the season with an injury. As a result, he was voted into the
PFA Team of the Year alongside four other City players[35] and won the
Manchester City Player of the Season award, voted by the fans.[36]
In the
2019–20 season, Silva scored a
hat-trick in an 8–0 thrashing of
Watford in the
Premier League on 21 September.[37] Days later, he was accused[by whom?] of
being racist towards his teammate
Benjamin Mendy in a tweet which likened the player's appearance to that of a dark-skinned advertising mascot;[38] Mendy said that he was not offended.[39] In November, Silva was banned for one match and fined £50,000 for the tweet. The FA said that Silva did not intend the post to be insulting or in any way racist.[40] In October 2019, Silva was nominated as one amongst 30 candidates for Ballon d´Or.[41]
On 10 January 2021, Silva scored a brace in a 3–0 home win over
Championship side
Birmingham City in the
Third round of the
FA Cup.[42] On 20 January 2021, Silva scored his first league goal of the season in a 2–0 home win over
Aston Villa.[43] On 24 February 2021, Silva scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a 2–0 away win over
Borussia Mönchengladbach in the first leg of the
round of 16 tie.[44]
2021–23: Consecutive Premier League titles and continental treble
In the start of the
2021–22 season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed that Silva was one of three players that wanted to leave the club in the summer transfer window.[45] It was reported that he was unhappy in Manchester, with Spanish
La Liga side
Atlético Madrid and
Serie A side
A.C. Milan being interested in signing him.[45] After staying at the club in the transfer window, Silva began displaying impressive performances in the midfield for Manchester City, most notably in the 5–0 victory against
Arsenal, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over
Leicester City, and against
Liverpool and
Chelsea, being named man of the match in the latter, with manager Pep Guardiola describing Silva as "one of the best players in the world".[46] For his performances, Silva was awarded Manchester City's Player of the Month by the club's supporters for two consecutive months in September and October.[47][48]
On 6 November, in the Manchester derby, Silva scored City's second goal in a 2–0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford.[49] On 24 November, Silva became the first player in the
Champions League to register a 100% passing rate, being named man of the match, as he provided an assist for
Gabriel Jesus, in City's 2–1 home win against
Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League group stage match, to ensure his team qualification to the
round of sixteen.[50] For his performances, Silva was named Manchester City's Player of the Month for November, becoming the first player to win the award in three consecutive months.[51][52]
On 15 February 2022, Silva scored a brace and provided an assist in a 5–0 away win over
Sporting CP in the first leg of the
Champions League round of 16 tie, being named man of the match for the second match in a row.[53]
Having spent the majority of his first four seasons in Manchester providing width on the right, he was transformed into the ultimate utility player over the course of this season. Though functionally a central midfielder, he has spent time at both centre forward (he scored from there against Manchester United) and defensive midfield.[54] He ended the season with 13 goals and 7 assists in all competitions.[55]
On 29 October, Silva was lauded for his role in a dominant 3–0 victory against
Manchester United in the
Premier League.[5] He scored City's winner in the 84th minute in a 1–0 victory against
Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final.[60]
International career
2013–2018: Youth level and first international tournaments
In 2013, Silva represented Portugal at the
2013 European Under-19 Championship,[61] reaching the semi-finals. For his performances, he was named among the top 10 talents under the age of 19 in Europe by a selection of
UEFA reporters.[62][63][64]
On 31 March 2015, Silva made his senior debut for
Portugal, starting in a 0–2 friendly defeat to
Cape Verde in
Estoril.[65]
Silva was selected for the Portugal squad for the
2017 Confederations Cup which was hosted in
Russia. He scored the second goal of the match in the group stage of the tournament, a 4–0 win over
New Zealand.[68] The national team reached the semi-finals before losing out to
Chile in a
penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw at the end of regulation time. He missed the
third place play-off in which Portugal defeated
Mexico 2–1 after extra time.[69]
Silva was named in Portugal's 23-man squad for the
2018 World Cup in Russia.[70] He featured in all 4 matches with Portugal, but was knocked out of the tournament after a 2–1 loss to Uruguay.[71]
2018–Present: Nations League title and subsequent tournaments
Silva was selected for three matches in the
2018–19 UEFA Nations League group stage, scoring a goal and providing an assist in a 3–2 victory against
Poland on October 11.[72][73] Portugal topped their Nations League Group and qualified for the
UEFA Nations League Finals held in Portugal. In the semi-finals on 5 June 2019, Silva provided two assists to
Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick resulting in a 3–1 over
Switzerland to reach
the final.[74] In the final of the tournament four days later, he provided a crucial assist to
Gonçalo Guedes, who scored the match-winning sole goal at the Estádio do Dragão against the
Netherlands, with Portugal winning the trophy on home soil, as he went on to be named the tournament's best player.[75][76]
Silva continued his fine form throughout the qualifying process for
UEFA Euro 2020, finishing the qualifying campaign, with three goals and six assists, including a brace of assists in a 6–0 over
Lithuania. He would be named in Portugal's final squad for the delayed
final tournament, appearing in all games of the eventual round of 16-exit to
Belgium.[77]
In October 2022, Silva was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man
squad for the
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[78] being included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament.[79] He appeared in all of Portugal's matches in the tournament in an eventual quarter-final exit to
Morocco after losing 1–0.[80][81]
Despite an underwelming World Cup tournament, his form improved under new manager
Roberto Martínez, who used Silva as one of his pilar for his team. He would finish the
UEFA Euro 2024qualifiers campaign with three goals and four assists, including captaining Portugal for the first time on 11 September 2023, in a 9–0 home defeat of
Luxembourg in the same phase, their biggest win in international history.[82]
Style of play
Silva is a diminutive, elegant, and creative left-footed
playmaker, with a slender build, who is capable of playing in several attacking and midfield positions. Throughout his career, he has been fielded in a variety of roles, including as a
winger on either flank (although he favours the right side of the pitch), as a
central midfielder, as a
deep-lying playmaker, as an
attacking midfielder, or even as a
second striker; he has also been deployed in a
false 9 role, or even as
wing-back on occasion. He is mainly known for his technique, acceleration, agility, passing, ball control, vision, creativity, and
dribbling skills, as well as his energy and defensive work-rate, which enables him to cover ground, press opponents, and start attacks after winning back possession. Although he is known for his ability to carry the ball forward, run at defences, and retain possession, he is also known to be an intelligent team player, with a strong personality, who prefers to participate in the build-up of offensive plays rather than undertaking individual dribbling runs. Despite primarily being a creative midfielder, he is also capable of scoring goals himself.[83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91]
Personal life
Silva's English has been described as "perfect" by the media,[92][93] partly as a result of his parents sending him to an English-speaking school in Lisbon when he was six years old.[94] In addition to English and his native Portuguese, Silva speaks French and Spanish.[95] His cousin
Matilde Fidalgo, also born in 1994, has represented
Portugal and
Manchester City's women's teams.[96] Silva has a
French Bulldog named John Stones named after
the footballer.[97] Silva is a supporter of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica.[98][99] On 1 July 2023, he married his fiancée Inês Tomaz .[100]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 25 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese).
CMVM. 20 January 2015.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
^"Portugal come from behind to finish third". FIFA. 2 July 2017. Archived from
the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017. Portugal finished their FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 campaign on a high by beating Mexico 2–1 after extra time in the play-off for third place at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow in front of 42,659 fans.
^Lemos, Pedro (11 September 2023).
"Portugal 9–0 Luxemburgo (crónica)" [Portugal 9–0 Luxembourg (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol.
Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
^Chioffi, Stefano (4 February 2015).
"Bernardo Silva, il Monaco lo riscatta per 16 milioni" [Bernardo Silva, Monaco acquires him outright for 16 million]. Il Corriere dello Sport (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
^"Bernardo Silva reveals his Man City goals". Manchester Evening News. 6 August 2017.
Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2018. He speaks softly, earnestly and in perfect English – a skill picked up from studying in a British college in Lisbon from a young age and improved further (more importantly) when it was established that it was the only common language he shared with his French girlfriend.