Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva’s contract expires at the end of the season, but he appears determined to leave the Etihad in high spirits.
Bernardo Silva was one of Manchester City’s standout players as they won the Carabao Cup.
As we approach the end of the season, there is always a debate about the criteria for awarding individual honors. Do you have to be part of a successful team to win an individual award, or is your level of importance to the team the determining factor, no matter how much that team fails?
Those who argue that Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes should be named Player of the Year are clearly second-guessing themselves. Some argue that if Arsenal win the Premier League or Champions League, there should be a Player of the Year from their ranks. Declan Rice, maybe.
This may be a bit jarring for those who watched him struggle against Rodri and Bernardo Silva at Wembley on Sunday. However, it’s not just one match that counts. Rice is a great player.
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But Silva’s performance on what is likely to be his last big day for City was a reminder of what a unique talent the Portuguese midfielder is. In the unlikely event that City revamp Arsenal in the Premier League and achieve an even more unlikely treble, Silva could earn votes for individual honors.
And they deserve it. When it comes to Silva’s importance to City, he actually provides proof that there are lies, outrageous lies and statistics.
He has played 42 games in all competitions for the club this season, and his three goals and five assists are not impressive, especially considering his 12 warnings and red cards. But numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell anything resembling the full story.
The Manchester City captain is at the forefront of what is almost certainly his last season at the club.
Firstly, is there a more indomitable player in the Premier League? In fact, if you like your stats, four of the top seven distances covered by a player in a Premier League game are attributed to the 31-year-old Silva.
Bruno Guimarães, Silva and Pascal Gross are the only players to have covered more than 13km in a single match. He played an active role in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.
Again, the stats don’t do Silva justice. He rarely lets the ball go and rarely wastes short passes.
In the match against Arsenal, he worked closely with Rodri, constantly searching for players. And this was after being sent off in the game against Real Madrid, in which City were eliminated from the Champions League.
Bernardo Silva has won 15 major trophies in nine seasons with Man City
There’s a reason he’s currently wearing Pep Guardiola’s captain’s armband. His latest Carabao Cup winners’ medal (his fifth) means he has won 15 major trophies in nine seasons with City.
Silva is, to put it politely, streetwise. To be polite again, he is a master of tactical fouls.
One would think he did everything he could during his England career. But he’s a player worth watching.
And, as seems inevitable, he will be greatly missed when he leaves the Etihad at the end of the season when his contract expires. He won’t go away as Player of the Year, but as City’s other all-time great.
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