Silva has won six Premier League titles since joining City in 2017
After nine years and more than 450 appearances, Bernardo Silva is set to conclude his illustrious Manchester City career at the end of the season.
The 31-year-old, who arrived at City from AS Monaco for a reported £43m in 2017, confirmed on Thursday his departure upon the expiration of his current contract this summer.
During his tenure at the Etihad, Silva secured 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club’s coveted first Champions League trophy.
He may yet add to his silverware collection before his departure in May, with Pep Guardiola’s side still in contention for both Premier League and FA Cup titles.
Regardless of the outcome of the remaining weeks of the season, Silva’s legacy at City is firmly established.
He will be remembered alongside modern-day greats such as Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany, and Kevin de Bruyne as a defining figure in the club’s most successful era.
BBC Sport examines why Silva will be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever don the Manchester City jersey.
‘I leave as one more of you’ – but how do Man City replace departing Silva?
Captain Silva to leave Man City at end of season
Upon Silva’s arrival at City in 2017, he joined a team with only two Premier League titles, the most recent occurring three years prior.
Now, nine years later, Silva – the club’s second-longest serving player – has been instrumental in transforming City into a dominant force, playing a pivotal role in securing six Premier League titles in the last eight seasons.
His initial title triumph came during his debut season, as City became the first Premier League team to amass 100 points in a 38-game season.
In 2019, City’s 98-point tally narrowly edged out Liverpool by a single point, in what is widely regarded as one of the most compelling title races in English football history.
Between 2021 and 2024, City and Silva further cemented their legacy by becoming the first team to win four consecutive titles.
Silva has the opportunity to secure a seventh Premier League title this season, with City currently trailing Arsenal in the final weeks of the campaign.
The Portugal international has also been instrumental in City’s rise on the European and international stage.
In 2023, he delivered a standout performance in the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, where his first-half brace propelled City to the final. They subsequently defeated Inter Milan to claim the trophy, completing a historic treble.
To date, Silva has made 451 appearances for City – the seventh-most in the club’s history – contributing 76 goals and 77 assists.
He embodies Guardiola’s City: a gifted player whose talent is matched by relentless work ethic.
His influence extends beyond the pitch. In recent years, he has become a key leader 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 praised Silva’s leadership by example over the past nine years.
“No one can replicate what he does. Bernardo’s leadership differs from Kompany or Fernandinho,” she told 5 Live.
“His performances inspire the team. You can’t fault his effort every time he wears a Manchester City shirt.
“Regardless of his position, he gives his all.”
Silva’s remarkable ratio of matches to trophies – 19 in 451 appearances, one every 24 games – cements his status as a Manchester City great.
He joined City from Monaco in May 2017, after playing 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 vital part 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.
This season, as captain, he has remained an outstanding contributor at 31 as City close in 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
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 a Manchester 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.”
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