Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva (Bernardo) spoke in a recent interview about last season’s struggles, his loathing of defeat, and his resolve as the new skipper.
"The players, coach, everyone feels guilty about last season," Bernardo said. "With our experience and quality, even with injuries, we shouldn’t have dropped off that easily. We could’ve handled it better. And as for the title race? We didn’t even really try."
Few feel the pain of failure like Bernardo. Since joining City from Monaco in 2017, he’s won at least one trophy every season for seven years: "I’m a bad loser. I loathe failure. I spent 12 years at Benfica, where they teach you never to be happy after a loss."
When City lined up to honor Liverpool as Premier League champions at the Etihad in 2020, Bernardo chose to drink coffee instead of clapping: "To me, that kind of tribute feels inauthentic. It’s not a Portuguese tradition. If they want to do it, fine, but I wasn’t going to clap for Liverpool – that’s not how I ‘celebrate’ losing. When I win trophies, I don’t need people clapping for me."
Ahead of the Club World Cup, Pep Guardiola broke tradition by naming Bernardo captain outright, not via a vote (after Kevin De Bruyne announced his departure). "Pep called me into his office," Bernardo recalled. "He said he wanted me as captain, that some things last season didn’t go how he wanted, so he picked me."
"It was the first time he’d chosen a captain personally. It felt a bit odd, but I’m proud he picked me, and the dressing room accepted it well. It’s a big responsibility, especially after last season – we need to get back to normal, fighting for every trophy."
Guardiola previously hinted at issues with the leadership group led by Kyle Walker last season; some staff felt Walker failed to set an example, with his mid-season move to Milan drawing criticism. On captaincy, Bernardo said: "Lead with good behavior and respect – being on time, training hard, giving everything for the club, no shortcuts, no slacking. We must respect each other and the competition. I want to play every game, and so do the other lads in my position. That competition will get us closer to competing again."
Bernardo is confident City can catch Liverpool: "Mentally, we’re back. We’re hungry again – we’re there. It’s all good, but in the end, performances on the pitch will show if we’re ready."
