Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva (born 10 August 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for club Manchester City and the Portugal national team.

Considered one of the best midfielders in the world, Silva is known for his creativity, dribbling, stamina, versatility, and work-rate.

Pep Guardiola has described Silva as "one of the best players I have ever seen".

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.

A product of S.L. Benfica's youth system, Silva played for its ranks, and in 2013 they won the 2012–13 Portuguese Juniors Championship.

He made his debut for Benfica B in a Segunda Liga match against Trofense on 10 August 2013 (Matchday 1).

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.

His good performance for Benfica B in the 2013–14 Segunda Liga earned him the league's Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

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.

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.

On 7 August 2014, Silva joined Monaco on one-year loan deal.

He made his debut on 17 August in a Ligue 1 away match against Bordeaux, replacing Lucas Ocampos in the second half.

On 21 September, he made his first start, in a 1–0 home win against Guingamp.

On 14 December, he scored the only goal of a home win against Marseille.

Silva made his senior debut for Portugal in 2015 after previously being capped by the nations's youth teams at under-19 and under-21 levels.

On 20 January 2015, Benfica announced that Silva's economic and sports rights had been sold to Monaco for €15.75 million; he signed a contract for Monaco that would expire on 30 June 2019.

On 10 April, he scored twice in a 3–0 away win against Caen.

On 10 August 2015, Silva extended his contract by one year, tying him to the club until June 2020.

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.

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.

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.

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 treble the following season.

He was chosen in Portugal's squads for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, UEFA Euro 2020 and 2022 FIFA World Cup, winning the 2019 tournament on home soil while also being named as the Player of the Tournament.

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.

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.

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.

Silva officially joined the club on 1 July 2017, ahead of the 2017–18 season.

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.

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.

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 and helped them to a record 100 points in the Premier League and the EFL Cup.

Silva made 51 appearances for Manchester City during the 2018–19 season, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists in all competitions.

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.

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.

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.

In 2020–21, he helped Manchester City reach their first UEFA Champions League final, and was an integral part of the side who sealed a first-ever continental treble in 2022–23.