Bernardo Silva Recalls Mourinho Controversy: "He Didn't Look Very Happy..."

In an interview with The Athletic, Bernardo Silva reflected on his Manchester City career, which includes 457 appearances and 15 trophies. Before his impending departure, he still has an FA Cup final and a Premier League title race against Arsenal ahead.

His exit, though now definitive, nearly happened on several previous occasions. In 2021 and 2022, top clubs from Spain and Italy showed interest, and in 2023, a substantial offer emerged from Saudi Arabia. Bernardo Silva admits that the idea of leaving is not new, and even when he renewed his contract for three years in 2023, he already viewed that deal as his last before seeking a new challenge.

The player explained that the initial thoughts of leaving arose during the pandemic, due to a period of unhappiness in his personal life. "Basically, in my third season here, when Covid hit, I wasn't very happy with my personal life," he confessed. "I was alone. Then, fortunately, I met my wife and my life started to improve personally. It had nothing to do with the city or the club — I love this club — but yes, it was a time when I explored other options and thought about it [leaving]," he revealed.

Pep Guardiola was a central figure in his decision to stay until now. "Yes, Pep was one of the biggest reasons I stayed. He never allowed me to leave [laughs]," he stated. The player acknowledges it was the right decision at the time: "I'm very happy it didn't happen, because I would have missed the treble [in 2023], winning four [Premier League titles] in a row, and many fantastic things. After we won the Champions League [in 2023], I signed a new contract to stay for three more seasons. From then on, my goal was always to see that contract through to the end."

His relationship with Pep Guardiola, who once described him as his "weakness, his favorite," is one of mutual admiration. "The way he helped me, supported me, and believed in me — even in my first six months when I didn't play much — was special coming from a coach like that," Bernardo revealed. "Then, with the experiences we've had together — the frustrations, the joy of winning things, the sadness of losing some — we've built this personal relationship where I know he really likes me. I'm very grateful for everything he's done for me."

Despite his team achieving a record 100 points in 2017/18, the Portuguese international acknowledges that this team might not have received the public recognition it deserved, unlike Arsenal's 2003/04 'Invincibles'. "From our fans, certainly," he said. However, he believes that time will do justice to this City generation. "In the future, I think people will look back and think that this generation was... if not the best, one of the best in the history of English football!"

Bernardo Silva also addressed the negative perception that sometimes surrounds the club, whether due to its success or the more than 100 accusations of breaching Premier League financial regulations, which the club denies. "People don't like winners because, in a league of 20 teams, one wins and the other 19 don't," he argued. Regarding the accusations, he hopes the process "comes to an end soon," admitting that "many people take advantage of it to detract from what we do on the field."

One of the most memorable moments of his career was the 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Champions League in May 2023. "If I could choose one game, one moment, to relive... The stadium was on fire, the atmosphere was fantastic. For me, personally, this game was perhaps the best memory I have at the club," he confessed. "The way we started the game, how we attacked them, they couldn't make three or four passes. To create that feeling against a team like Real Madrid, the kings of Europe at the time, and win 4-0 at home, was an incredible night for us," he added.

Winning the Champions League weeks later was the realization of a dream. "It was finally achieving the dream we had waited so long for, with so many frustrations. Along with the World Cup, winning the Champions League is the pinnacle," he declared.

Despite his quality, Bernardo Silva's name was absent from the list of nominees for the Premier League Player of the Season award, something that didn't surprise him. "No," he said. "These awards mainly go to players with the best assist and goal statistics. I have no problem with that." For the Professional Footballers' Association award, his vote went to a compatriot: "My friend Bruno. He had an incredible season."

The Portuguese midfielder also recalled an incident with José Mourinho, which resulted in an altercation where a plastic bottle was thrown towards the Portuguese coach and Mikel Arteta, then Man. City's assistant, suffered a cut to the head. This was Bernardo Silva's first Manchester derby.

"Well, it was a big win. We were first in the league and Manchester United were second. We won the game, which increased the gap, and I was in the tunnel, talking to Lindelof, who played with me at Benfica. Our players were celebrating in our dressing room, which was right next to theirs. They weren't very happy about that," he began to explain.

"Mourinho didn't look very happy and then the usual in football happened: one starts shouting, the other starts shouting, pushes, out of nowhere, and from there things escalate stupidly," he described. Bernardo admits knowing who threw the bottle, but refuses to reveal the name. "I'm not going to say. To be fair, nothing special happened. But what happened afterwards was that they changed the location of the away dressing room at Old Trafford — and perhaps because of this."