Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɨɾˈnaɾðu ˈsilvɐ]; born 10 August 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. After spending most of his youth career at Benfica, Silva began his professional senior career with them, before moving to Monaco permanently in January 2015, winni...

Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɨɾˈnaɾðu ˈsilvɐ]; born 10 August 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team. After spending most of his youth career at Benfica, Silva began his professional senior career with them, before moving to Monaco permanently in January 2015, winning the Ligue 1 title for the 2016–17 season. In the summer of 2017, Silva joined Manchester City. He made over 450 appearances, winning 20 major honours, including six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, four EFL Cups, and the Champions League in 2023, as part of a continental treble. In 2017–18, he helped City becoming the only Premier League team to attain 100 points in a single league season. In 2018–19, Silva 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. In 2020–21, he helped Manchester City reach their first UEFA Champions League final, and was an integral part of the side who sealed their first ever continental treble in 2022–23, their most successful season to date. In July 2026, he left Manchester City as a free agent and joined La Liga club Real Madrid. 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. He was chosen in Portugal's squads for three FIFA World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2026), two UEFA European Championships (2020 and 2024), and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025, being named as the Player of the Tournament on home soil in the former. Early life Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva was born on 10 August 1994, in Lisbon, Portugal. Silva's football journey started in Lisbon, where his early passion for the game was nurtured. Club career Benfica 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. Monaco 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. 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 equaliser in the 87th minute to ensure that the match finished in 1–1 draw. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. As a result, he was voted into the PFA Team of the Year alongside four other City players and won the Manchester City Player of the Season award, voted by the fans. In the 2019–20 season, Silva scored a hat-trick in an 8–0 thrashing of Watford in the Premier League on 21 September. Days later, the FA requested a response from Manchester City after Silva directed a tweet towards his teammate Benjamin Mendy which likened the player's appearance to that of a dark-skinned advertising mascot, while Kick It Out, the campaign group against racism in football, expressed their disappointment at Silva's use of a racist stereotype. Mendy said that he was not offended by the tweet. 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. In October 2019, Silva was nominated as one among 30 candidates for Ballon d´Or. 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. On 20 January 2021, Silva scored his first league goal of the season in a 2–0 home win over Aston Villa. 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. 2021–2024: 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. It was reported that he was unhappy in Manchester, with Spanish La Liga side Atlético Madrid and Serie A side Milan being interested in signing him. 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". 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. On 6 November, in the Manchester derby, Silva scored City's second goal in a 2–0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. 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. 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. 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. 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. He ended the season with 13 goals and 7 assists in all competitions. On 17 May 2023, Silva scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg, which secured his club's qualification to the second Champions League final in their history. On 10 June, he provided a crucial assist to Rodri, who scored the match-winning sole goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, securing Manchester City's win for their first ever Champions League trophy and completing a continental treble. He was selected in the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League team of the tournament. On 23 August 2023, Silva extended his contract until 2026. On 29 October, Silva was lauded for his role in a dominant 3–0 victory against Manchester United in the Premier League. On 20 April 2024, he scored City's winner in the 84th minute in a 1–0 victory against Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final. 2024–2026: Captaincy and departure He was appointed club captain ahead of the 2025–26 season, following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne. Later that year, on 5 November, he reached his 100th Champions League appearance in a 4–1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. On 5 April 2026, Manchester City assistant manager Pep Lijnders announced that Silva would leave the club in the summer when his contract expired. Later that month, on 16 April, it was confirmed that he would leave the club as a free agent at the end of the season. Silva made his final appearance for Manchester City on 24 May 2026, captaining the side in a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa on the final day of the Premier League season. He departed the club after nine years, which he became one of the defining players of the Pep Guardiola era, winning multiple major honours including six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2023. Silva received an emotional farewell from supporters, teammates and coaching staff, ending his City career with more than 450 appearances across all competitions. Real Madrid On 17 June 2026, Silva signed for La Liga club Real Madrid on a two-year contract. International career 2013–2018: Youth level and first international tournaments In 2013, Silva represented Portugal at the 2013 European Under-19 Championship, 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. On 31 March 2015, Silva made his senior debut for Portugal, starting in a 0–2 friendly defeat to Cape Verde in Estoril. On 27 June 2015, Silva scored Portugal U21s' first goal in a 5–0 win against Germany U21 in the semi-fi