English
Español
Bernardo Silva has explained the standards upheld in the Manchester City dressing room in a wide-ranging interview for the club’s official magazine.
The 31-year-old was appointed club captain by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after the departures of Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker last summer.
Silva has made his name as one of City’s best ever players since his £43 million arrival from AS Monaco in 2017 and as he enters the final months of his current contract, the midfielder has spoken of the down-to-earth standards in the dressing room.
In an interview for the March issue of Manchester City’s official magazine, the Portugal international spoke of the camaraderie among the first-team ranks at Manchester City and that no player is bigger than the collective.
“In this football club, you’re not allowed to be a football star,” the six-time Premier League winner said. “You’re allowed to be a part of a fantastic team, where everyone feels the same, and the fans also, they feel that way.
“So I remember even in my second (and) third season, I always felt that the crowd really, really, really loved me – and so I have no complaints about that. They’ve been really good with me.”
Manchester City fans have shared with special bond with Silva over the years and Guardiola has touched many a time that the Benfica academy graduate is one of the finest talents he has had the honour of working with.
Silva is looking to spearhead the Blues to an unprecedented quadruple in what is increasingly looking like the playmaker’s final season at the Etihad Stadium and while nothing is set in stone yet, Manchester City fans are already dreading the seemingly inevitable.
Touching on his connection with City supporters, the club captain added: “I always felt that (love), obviously when you win, and it’s a bit more than when you don’t win. People get frustrated a little bit. That’s part of the game.
“Football is a passionate, passionate game. But I would say that the love that I felt from day one, that people always understood and understood me, the way that I wanted to be understood, so I never wanted to be the star. I always wanted just to be another one in the team.
“And not only in my position specific, but all over the pitch, that’s because I love the game, so I love to understand, like, if I needed to play centre-half, I would probably know what to do my because even if my physical qualities aren’t there (to play centre-half), I know what to do in every position on the pitch.
“I’m curious about the game. I’m always asking Ruben (Dias) about, like, as a centre-back how he approaches some moments of the game, some details, the positioning and this kind of stuff. So I love that and I think Pep (Guardiola) is the same because he also loves that too, and that’s something that we have in common.”
Silva played 90 minutes at the weekend as Manchester City recorded a sixth consecutive win in all competitions courtesy of a solitary Antoine Semenyo strike against Leeds United at Elland Road, with the Blues anxiously awaiting fitness updates on Erling Haaland and Nico O’Reilly ahead of Wednesday night’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.