Kyle Walker revealed that the Manchester City squad always send Bernardo Silva whenever they want a day off.
Silva has been with the club since 2017, making 358 appearances and winning six Premier League titles. Although there have been frequent rumors about moves to Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Pep Guardiola has consistently persuaded him to stay, appreciating him both as a player and a person.
The strong bond between Guardiola and Silva is evident; last year, City captain Walker mentioned that Silva often acts as an intermediary when the team makes requests. Walker noted in a press conference, โBernardo Silva has such a good relationship with the manager that when we want days off, we ask him to speak to Pep.โ
Both Walker and Silva are part of Cityโs five-man leadership group, which also includes Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, and Rodri.
After a vote from teammates, all five members are considered captains of the club, although Walker holds the role of permanent captain. However, this arrangement might be reassessed this season following the return of former captain Ilkay Gundogan, who rejoined the team on a free transfer after spending a year at Barcelona.
Silva committed to City by signing a new contract until 2026 in August of the previous year, but speculation linking him to Barcelona has continued, partly due to reports of a ยฃ50 million release clause in his contract.
Despite this, while Silva was representing Portugal at Euro 2024, Guardiola emphasized that there had been no contact from Barcelona about the player. Speaking at the Legends charity golf tournament, Guardiola said, โThere has been a lot of talk over the years, but no one has reached out to us. I hope he stays at Manchester City; heโs a crucial player for us and a wonderful person. If a club wants a player, they need to make contact, but that hasnโt happened.โ