Bernardo building an admiring fan club at City
ONE pass can be all it takes to fall in love with Bernardo Silva, and the City star was quick to send his fans a reminder against Liverpool.
It has been a strange summer for the Portugal international after the highs of a recordbreaking domestic season with his new club.
Being involved in a major tournament for the first time was an honour, but that brought responsibility and expectation.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked like he was going to muscle his way to the Golden Boot before the group stages were wrapped up, but in reality the team struggled to reproduce the same level of quality after their initial 3-3 thriller with Spain.
And while Uruguay were no gimme in the last-16, the disappointment in Portugal of a team that had fallen short was felt by the players.
Even as Bernardo relaxed on holiday, the ante was being upped for the coming season by Liverpool new boy and former Monaco team-mate, Fabinho, declaring: “I’ve already told Bernardo that if he ever tries to do some tricks against me, he’ll definitely regret it!”
The two are very good friends, with the Brazilian having helped the City man settled at their previous club and being part of the team that upset Paris SaintGermain in Ligue 1.
But the feeling of a relentless schedule will not have been diluted by being called back earlier than most for pre-season training to help Guardiola out for the beginning of the Premier League title defence.
Not that he was in any way unhappy to come and it shows his perceived value to the team that Guardiola wanted it enough to deviate from his rule for every other World Cup star, but it was a dizzying first 12 hours in New York to land, sleep, have a full training session and then speak to various assembled media about an incredibly busy summer.
On as a second-half substitute against Liverpool in New Jersey, Bernardo produced a ball to drool over.
Perfectly paced, taking out five players and anticipating Leroy Sane’s run, it made for a goal worthy of a much bigger stage than a summer friendly.
It will take time to build up full fitness, but that will not stop the fan club growing. DAVID Silva has spoken about the emotional turmoil of caring for his prematurely-born son.
Mateo was born in December and faced a fight for his life over a number of months.
It meant Silva had to juggle family and football matters, travelling regularly between Manchester and Spain. City gave him permission to spend as much time as he needed with the baby and his partner.
And, speaking to The Mirror, Silva has revealed his gratitude for the support from club, family and friends – and how the battling youngster was his source of inspiration to deal with the crisis.
He said: “You just don’t expect to see your baby fighting for his life.
“Looking back you wonder how you coped. I relied on the strength of my girlfriend and my family – and also my team-mates and my club.
“Mateo was also a source of inspiration because of the way he fought. I was flying from England to Spain, trying to be with my son, trying to train, going back to Manchester to play for City.
“Mentally it was tough but I had to be strong because I wanted my son to keep fighting.
“It goes without saying that the first few months after my son was born were the toughest of my life.”
Silva reserved praise for Guardiola and everyone at City for their love and understanding.
“I have always been well treated by the club, but when Mateo was born prematurely I think it was the time when I realised just how much the club means to me” he explained.
“It was Christmas. It was the busiest part of the season and I knew