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Why Silva will be remembered as a Man City legend

Bernardo Silva holds the Champions League trophyGetty Images

Phil McNulty

Chief football writer

Keifer MacDonald

BBC Sport journalist

After nine years and more than 450 appearances, Bernardo Silva will bring his glitteringManchester City career to a close at the end of the season.

The 31-year-old, who joined City from AS Monaco for what now looks a modest £43m in 2017, confirmed on Thursday that he will leave the club when his current contract expires this summer.

During his time at the Etihad, Silva has won 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club's first Champions League trophy.

He could still add to that tally before his departure at the end of May, with Pep Guardiola's side still chasing both Premier League and FA Cup success.

But whatever the final weeks of the campaign may hold, Silva's legacy at City is already secure.

He will be remembered alongside modern-day greats like Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Kevin de Bruyne as one of the defining figures of the club's most successful era.

Here, BBC Sport takes a look at why Silva will go down as one of the greatest players to wear the Manchester City shirt.

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'There is nobody that can do what he does'

When Silva arrived at City in 2017, he joined a side that had won the Premier League only twice, with the most recent success coming three years earlier.

Nine years on, though, Silva - now the second-longest serving player at the club - has helped transform City into a dominant force in the English game and played a central role in his side winning the Premier League title in six of the last eight seasons.

His first title success came in his debut campaign as City became the first side in Premier League history to amass 100 points in a 38-game season.

In 2019, City's points tally of 98 was enough to pip Liverpool to the title by a single point in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest title races in English football history.

Between 2021 and 2024, City and Silva made further history as they became the first team to win four consecutive titles.

Silva could yet win a seventh Premier League crown at the end of the season, with City still chasing Arsenal in the closing weeks of the season.

The Portugal international has also helped turn City into a powerhouse on the European and International stage.

In 2023, he produced arguably his finest performance in a City shirt during the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, when his first-half double helped City on their way to the final. There, they went on to beat Inter Milan to win the trophy and, in doing so, complete a historic treble.

At the time of writing, Silva has made 451 appearances for City - the seventh-most in the club's history - and contributed 76 goals and 77 assists.

He is, in many ways, the perfect embodiment of Guardiola's City: a naturally gifted player whose talent is matched by a relentless and aggressive work rate.

But his influence extends far beyond the pitch. In recent years, he has emerged as one of City's key leadership figures following the departures of Kompany, Aguero, De Bruyne and Kyle Walker, culminating in his appointment as club captain in 2025.

Following Thursday's announcement, former Manchester City and England defender Steph Houghton hailed Silva for the way he has led by example over the last nine years.

"There is nobody that can do what he does. With Bernardo, he is a different kind of leader to Kompany or Fernandinho," she told 5 Live.

"A lot of it is through performances and about him leading the boys in doing certain things. You can't fault his effort every single time he pulls on a Manchester City shirt.

"No matter where he is playing, he gives absolutely everything."

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Analysis: 'He has been a heartbeat of an all-conquering Manchester City'

Silva's remarkable ratio of matches to trophies – 19 in 451 appearances working out at one every 24 games – is why he will always have the status of a Manchester City great.

He arrived at City from Monaco in May 2017, having played a key role in eliminating Pep Guardiola's side from the previous season's Champions League as part of an outstanding side that also included Kylian Mbappe.

Since then, he has been a heartbeat of an all-conquering Manchester City side that reached its peak in 2023. They won their first Champions League, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul, and completed a treble after they had already won the Premier League and the FA Cup.

And this season, as captain, he has remained an outstanding contributor at 31 as City close in ominously on leaders Arsenal in the Premier League, having already won the Carabao Cup and with an FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Southampton to come.

He could yet bid farewell by winning another domestic treble.

The Portuguese player was – and still is – the complete midfield operator whose levels of performance are still so high that he will have suitors among Europe's elite such as Barcelona and Juventus, and perhaps even further afield in Saudi Arabia.

Silva is a consummate creator and competitor, an artist with a spiky edge who detests defeat and has always demanded the highest standards, as well as being supportive, of his team-mates.

He celebrated triumphs with gusto, but is also remembered (fondly by City's fans at least) for refusing to applaud Liverpool's newly-crowned Premier League champions when they played at Etihad Stadium in July 2020, describing the ritual as "a kind of hypocrisy."

Silva's response, or lack of, met with disapproval in many quarters but only cemented his status with City's supporters as one of the symbols of a golden era at the club.

Guardiola and everyone at Manchester City will acknowledge Bernardo Silva will take a lot of replacing.

Guardiola, a great generation, and dogs called John and Charles

How have the fans reacted?

Ian, from the Lake District: "The word is overused but he is a genuine legend."

Alex, from Manchester: "One of the best to wear the shirt, underrated by many. We wouldn't have won what we did without him. Real Madrid at home in the treble winning season, he was unplayable. Will be a huge miss and irreplaceable."

Martin, from Northampton: He's been a colossus across his time at city The man just epitomises what a club legend is all about. Thank you, Bernardo."

Ollie, Richmond: "The closest to Messi the league has ever seen. Such a beautiful player to watch and City have a job on their hands trying to replace him!"

Duncan, High Peak: To play 450+ games in the modern era with the unrelenting and packed schedule, is a testimony to Bernie's character and fitness. As already mentioned, his greatest night was undoubtedly against Real Madrid in 22-23 Champions League semi v Madrid. He was simply unplayable.

Salal, UK: Bernardo leaves a true legend of City and English football. For years, he was the glue that held the team together, especially after the departures of Toure and Aguero. City would not have won half the titles they have without him.

Dermot aManchester United fan from Belfast: "As a Manchester United fan I will be glad to see the back of him as he made my life a misery on one or more occasions. What a pleasure it was to see him play in the Prem. A class act. Good luck for the future Bernardo."