Pep Guardiola delivers Bernardo Silva captaincy verdict after Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne exits | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lauded Bernardo Silva for his early showing as club captain after being given the armband in the summer.

Silva was made Manchester City captain by Guardiola, with the Catalan taking matters in his own hands and deciding the destination of the armband for the first time in his managerial career in the backdrop of a turbulent 2024-25 season at the Etihad Stadium.

City endured a sobering campaign last term by all accounts, finishing third in the Premier League with their lowest points tally under Guardiola (71), exiting the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and losing the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

However, it was matters off the pitch that left a bitter taste behind the scenes as Kyle Walker – who was appointed Manchester City captain in 2023 when he extended his contract – decided to join AC Milan on a six-month loan deal in January – after losing his spot in the starting XI under Guardiola after a horror run of form in the closing months of 2024.

Manchester City underwent their worst run of form in over 15 years in the fall of 2024 that effectively ruled the Blues out of the Premier League title race, with a massive drop in form coinciding with a personnel crisis across the board that forced the club’s hand to spend £181.5 million in the January transfer window.

Walker’s exit also meant City needed reinforcements in defence, with Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis recruited mid-season to alleviate Guardiola’s injury concerns at a time when the Blues were struggling to name two fit centre-halves in the starting XI.

Injury troubles got the better of Kevin De Bruyne in his final season in England and the 34-year-old Belgian was shown the door by the board – led by newly-appointed sporting director Hugo Viana – in a huge statement of intent and change of guard by the club.

Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Scott Carson and James McAtee also followed De Bruyne through the exit door in the summer, with Silva handed the armband by Guardiola despite the underlying uncertainties over the 31-year-old Portuguese’s future at the Etihad Stadium.

Silva is in line to start for Manchester City against former side AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League group-stage at Stade Louis II on Wednesday evening, having been rested against Burnley at the weekend.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of City’s second UEFA Champions League group-stage fixture of the 2025-26 campaign, Guardiola was quizzed for his early impressions of how Silva has taken to the armband in a period of transition on and off the pitch at the club.

“He cannot do better as Manchester City captain. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever trained, a luxury for me to have him in these 10 years,” Guardiola said passionately on a player whom he famously said in 2019 would stay with him at Manchester City so long as he is head coach.

“An extraordinary player, intelligent, smart, ductile, (Silva) can play in I don’t know how many positions. Really, really happy to have him and he accepted the role (of captain) alongside the other ones (Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland).”

Though Guardiola has publicly denied this, Walker’s mid-season departure to AC Milan last season is understood to have played a key role in the Manchester City manager’s decision to himself appoint Silva – a trusted confidante – as the new skipper.