Bernardo Silva - The Football Interview

0:00The Football Interview on the Football Daily Podcast.

0:30City's Bernardo Silva. Well Bernardo thank you for your time today let's start with why football how did you end up in this sport? It was an easy choice because it was always my passion from since I remember myself I always had the ball with me at home even when my mum was a bit upset or my dad because I would break a few paintings or jars or whatever I always had a ball with me and it was always my passion yeah. Did you have brothers and sisters as well was it Was it a family thing? Two sisters, so it was not a family thing. Obviously, my dad is also a big football fan and he liked to play as well.

1:06And even my mum, she always went to football games, even though she's not from my club, she's from the rivals. Oh, controversial. So my dad's side of the family is from one team, my mum's the other side of the city. So is your dad's team Benfica? Yeah, my dad's team Benfica, my mum's team Sporting. Oh, that must have been controversial when you went to Benfica. What did she make of that? No, she was happy. Actually, it was also my grandfather's idea from my mum's side, who was a sporting supporter, so he was the one also that had the idea. So they were always very supportive, yeah. Did you play for a team before you went to Benfica?

1:43No. Straight to Benfica? I played 12 years at Benfica. Nine years is at City now. 12 years at Benfica. So from when I was seven until I was 19. What was it about that team that you knew, other than it being your dad's team, why was it the right place for you? I'm a Benfica fan, but Benfica is the biggest club in Portugal. I would go to Benfica games with my dad, and since I was a little boy, it was always my dream to be there to play for that club. And I was really lucky to get that opportunity of learning from the best coaches in Portugal, having the best facilities from that early age at Benfica.

2:18So 12 years at Benfica. You've obviously played for Monaco and Manchester City since. but who would you say has had the biggest influence on your career and the player you are today? It's difficult to say. I would say between Benfica and Man City for the time, because Monaco was three years, even though I was really happy there, it was only three years. Man City, nine now. Benfica shaped me from when I was seven until 19. They gave me not only the football knowledge, but also they shaped me a little bit as a man. They made me tougher and stronger. At Monaco, even though it was shorter, they gave me the opportunity to start at the higher level And at Man City I achieved everything and more than I ever dreamed for I always dreamt of winning the Premier League, but I never imagined myself winning sixth So Man City gave me more than I hoped for as a young kid, honestly What about a teammate, can be current or past, or coach that's shaped you particularly?

3:15Pep is obviously a very big influence for me in terms of managers. Players, when I arrived at Monaco I had a guy, I was very lucky to have João Moutinho, a Portuguese player that for me is one of the most intelligent players that's ever played for our country. So he also was a mentor for me and he was in a way also a manager because I learned a lot from him. He was a big influence, but at Man City also I had a lot of really good players that taught me a lot, from Vincent Kompany to David Silva to Fernandinho. Different types of players and you learn different types of things, but I definitely had a lot of different influences in football.

4:00Did you hear what Pep said about you recently, that you're one of the best he's ever trained? Well, yeah, I saw that and I'm happy that he feels that way because the players that he managed are not bad players. I think I'm the player with most games played under Pep, so obviously he has that special affection for me because it's been so long. But as I said, the influence from Pep on me is massive. Nine years and I learned a lot. He has an interesting relationship with his players. It always looks as outsiders. When we see him on the pitch at the end, you might have won 4-0 and then he goes up and he's really intensely talking to you.

4:36Have you been on the end of any of those? Yeah, a lot of times. Sometimes I see that people think that he's complaining to us, but it's just the way he moves his arms a lot and being very, very passionate. But at the end, he's just talking about the small detail that he wants us to improve. Sometimes he's really frustrated as well, obviously, but most of the times he uses a lot his arms, so it looks more than it actually is. Very expressive. Yeah, very expressive. If there was one game from your career that you could relive, What would it be? Easy answer, Champions League final. But even bad days for us, for example, if we talk about the game against Tottenham in the quarterfinals of the Champions League that we got knocked out, that was a fantastic game to be part of.

5:25So I have a lot of fantastic games, fantastic memories that I could choose. What about the toughest moment? Well, Champions League final against Chelsea was a tough one when we lost 1-0. But I would say even more than the Champions League final, the one against Madrid in the semi-final when they scored two goals in the last two or three minutes. That one was tough to take because we were much better than them in both games. And for five minutes you throw everything away. It was a very frustrating experience. At the end we got it. But the Champions League was a tough journey for us. You mentioned there the word frustrating.

6:02Is that how you sum up parts of the last couple of years here at Manchester City? because you went from the highs of all of that incredible success and then it's been kind of going into a new era and it hasn't been trophies every other week as it felt like it was at one point. Well, yeah, we're trying to bring that culture back, knowing that at this level it's not easy. Look, I would love to tell you that what we did in my first seven years is something normal, but it's not because in seven years, winning six Premier Leagues, winning a treble, winning a domestic quadruple, doing 100 points, breaking the record of goals.

6:37Obviously, I'm a bit biased, but I could argue that that generation was the best ever in English football. You think it was? I could argue that, or anyone could argue that. So that is not normal. So you cannot expect that to last forever. Obviously, if you look at the Champions League final, for example, from that team, seven or eight players already left, very important players. You're talking about big names like Kevin De Bruyne, Gundogan, Akanji, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, the English, Julian Alvarez, even Rodri that has been injured for most of the time, or Cole Palmer that he left, he wasn't playing much but he left and he was a very good player.

7:14And there's a new generation coming that needs time to adapt. Because I've been through that process once and it went really well because when Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho, Agüero, David Silva, when they left, the change was made a bit slowly because we were winning, so it's easier. When you're losing it's more difficult to make that change and you put more pressure on the young guys. I still believe that this club and these players have a lot of potential, a little bit of time and patience. I know it's tough in football at this level, but I really think that this club can turn things around and go back, I don't know, to the standards that were, because that's not easy, it's the reality, but hopefully, hopefully, until I'm here, until the end, I will try to help them as much as possible for them in the future to be in a good place to fight for that.

8:01How much would it mean then, given all what you've just said, if you were to lift silverware this season? Well, that's the aim. That's the aim. It would mean a lot because at this club it's not acceptable not to win. If you don't win, the club will make decisions again and it's normal. It's part of the business and that's the way it is. That's good. That's good. If you want to play for Man City, you need to win. If you don't win, you don't deserve to be here. So that pressure that's on us, it's a good one and we take it. Do you think you're in a position to win silverware this season compared to where you were last season maybe?

8:35I think we're in a much, much better position. You cannot compare. If you said to me last season with no injuries, last season was a very, very good squad. But with all the injuries that we had and with all the problems that we had, I would say that right now we're much more prepared to fight for titles. I want to take you back to a young Bernardo. What were you like as a child? What was I like? I was very energetic. I liked to believe that I was a very happy kid and with a lot of passion to try and succeed in life. What was your earliest non-football memory? Fighting with my older sister. Is that a good one?

9:13So you've got two sisters, you said? I've got two sisters. Both older? One is four years older, the other one is eight years younger. Are they into football? Do they come and watch or is it quite nice to talk to them about differently? I still believe that nowadays they have no clue what an offside is. But they support me. Wherever I am, they support me. I know that. In terms of your friends away from football, who's your best friend in football, firstly? My best friend in football, it's Ruben right now, yeah. Ruben Diaz? Ruben Diaz. Yeah. How long have you two known each other? We've known each other.

9:42So Ruben is three years younger than me. So I remember him from the Benfica Academy, but he wasn't a friend back then. I've known Ruben really well on a daily basis for five and a half years now. How do you escape from football? Well, my daughter and my wife help a lot, so when I get home and I see them, even when I lose, I forget about things. And I love doing stuff with them. I love going on trips with them or to watch a film at home. Whatever it is, I love to spend time with them. How old's your daughter? My daughter is two and a half years old, almost. Well, two and three months. OK, so she takes a lot of your time and energy as well.

10:18All my time, all my energy. When off football, she takes all my energy. What's an ideal day off then? Pep's given you the day off, what are you going to do? Depends on where I am. In Manchester, if I was in Portugal, I would go to the beach, I would go to the pool, I would chill. Here in Manchester, when it's too cold, it's difficult. But on a normal day, I would say, get my two dogs, go walk them, go with my wife, go to like a park or something and enjoy a bit of fresh air with them. What are your dogs' names? John and Charles. And who are they named after? John is named, you know, after John Stones a long time ago.

10:58So that is true? That is true. And Charles, I got Charles from Wales. At that time, Prince Charles from Wales. So I thought Charles, I wanted an English name as well because I had John already. So I chose Charles as well. Tell me one thing about yourself that would surprise me. I think that I'm really good at football and I always dedicated my life to that. I actually have no clue what I would do if I wasn't a football player. I never had the chance to explore hidden talents because I dedicated my life to football. My next question was going to be, if I wasn't a footballer, I would be... I don't know.

11:34It's a very difficult question. I would love to know, you know, because when I finish football, if I don't want to stay in the game, I want to do something, I don't want to stop. So that's a very good question. I'm still going to try to find that out when I finish my career. I had a chat with your Portugal head coach, Roberto Martinez, recently. And he actually said, I said I was coming to speak to you, and he said, when Bernardo finishes playing, he will be a manager. Is he right? I don't know. I don't know. I think I could. I think I have a really good understanding of the game. I don't know, because I dedicated so long and so much time of my life to this.

12:15When I finish my career, I don't want to spend time with my kids or travel with my wife or who knows. I love football. I think I'm going to miss it. I'm not sure. But if I miss it and I come back, probably it's going to be to be a manager. You've got a bit of time to decide. Yeah, I've got a few more years in you. A few more years, yeah. What's the best bit of advice you've ever been given? I would say that, I know it's a bit of a cliche, but don't be afraid of failing, you know. Like, go for it. If you fail, it's all right. And also to have fun. When you enjoy what you do, you do it better. And if you could achieve only one more thing in your career, what would it be?

12:50World Cup. Didn't even have to finish my sentence. That's an easy one. I need a World Cup. You need the World Cup. I need it. Next summer? I hope so. It would be the biggest achievement of my life because Portugal never did that. It's the only trophy that Portugal, that our country never won, so I would love to do that. And you've won a fair bit already. Bernardo, thank you so much for your time. It's fascinating to talk to you.

13:23This winter, cricket's oldest rivalry is reignited. England and Australia do battle to compete for the Ashes. That is extraordinary. Hear live ball-by-ball commentary on 5 Sports Extra. And get analysis and reaction of every day's play with the Test Match Special podcast. The straps are on the ground. Test Match Special at the Ashes. Listen on BBC Sounds.