Bernardo Silva: Manchester City midfielder in his own words
What are you doing? What is your ideal day off?
Bernard: It depends where I am. If I were in Portugal, I would go to the beach, I would go to the pool, I would cool off. It’s difficult when it’s very cold here in Manchester. But on a normal day, I would say take my two dogs, walk them, go with my wife, go to the park or something and enjoy some fresh air with them.
What are you doing? What are your dogs’ names?
Bernard: John and Charles. John was named after John Stones a long time ago. I brought Charles from Wales. Prince Charles of Wales at the time. So I thought of Charles. I also wanted an English name because I already had John. So I chose Charles.
What are you doing? Tell me something about yourself that would surprise me.
Bernard: I think I’m really good at football and I’ve always dedicated my life to that. Actually, I have no idea what I would do if I wasn’t a football player. Since I devoted my life to football, I never had the chance to discover hidden talents.
What are you doing? My next question would be: ‘If I wasn’t a football player…’
Bernard: I don’t know. This is a very difficult question. I would love to know because when I finish playing football, if I don’t want to stay in the game, I want to do something. I don’t want to stop, this is a very good question. I’ll still try to find that when I finish my career.
What are you doing? I recently spoke to your Portugal head coach, Roberto Martinez, and he told me: ‘Bernardo will become a manager when he finishes playing.’ Is he right?
Bernard: I don’t know. I think I can. I think I understand the game really well. I don’t know because I’ve devoted so much of my life to this. When I finish my career, I can spend time with my children, travel with my wife or who knows… I love football. I think I’ll miss this. I am not sure. But if I miss it and I come back, I’ll probably be a manager.
What are you doing? You have some time to decide. You’ve got a few more years, right?
Bernard: A few more years, yes.
What are you doing? What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Bernard: I know this is a bit of a cliché, but I would say don’t be afraid to fail. You know, just keep going. It’s okay if you fail. Also for fun. You do better when you enjoy what you do.
What are you doing? If you could achieve just one more thing in your career, what would it be?
Bernard: This is an easy one. I need a World Cup. This would be the greatest achievement of my life because Portugal has never done this. This is the only trophy that Portugal, our country, has never won, so I would love to do that.
