Roberto Martinez describes Bernardo Silva as ‘example Portuguese footballer’ in huge praise for Manchester City captain | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva has received arguably the ultimate praise from his international manager Roberto Martinez looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Silva is enjoying another fine season as Manchester City continue to challenge for all four trophies, having progressed to the Carabao Cup final as well as the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.

The 31-year-old was appointed Manchester City captain by Pep Guardiola at the start of the season upon the departures of Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne, with director of football Hugo Viana making sweeping changes to the first-team ranks.

City have won five games on the spin as they continue to keep Premier League leaders Arsenal on their toes, having reduced the gap to the top of the table significantly in recent weeks to add a new element of excitement to the title race.

However, the Blues could be set to bid their skipper farewell this summer as Silva approaches the end of his current Manchester City deal, with no indications as yet of extension talks.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap, Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez was quizzed for his thoughts on Silva and the Manchester City captain’s continued remarkable performances at the very summit of the game.

“He’s the example when we speak about what a Portuguese footballer should be; a tactical guy, wants information, wants to know where space is, he can play inside, knows how to play inside, knows how to play outside,” said Martinez.

“He’s not a quick player, but he’s so intelligent, how to drag you out. Then technically he’s a gift. He’s left-footed, but can use both. But then he’s a competitor. This is what I found incredible in Portuguese culture, this mixture in the same player.

“Normally we used to have players that were very tactical, always ones that want to be creative. And then you had the competitor. But to have both, this is Bernardo Silva. If you want a reliable job, it’s Bernardo Silva.”

Glowing with praise around the versatility of the midfielder, Martinez added: “If you want to mark the biggest guy in the box, it’s Bernardo Silva. If you want to appreciate where space is going to appear, it’s Bernardo Silva.

“If you want to attack inside, you use Bernardo. If you want to attack outside, you use Bernardo. It’s this intelligent guy that’s got incredible standards. When you speak with teammates, they all appreciate that.”

Guardiola would match, if not exceed, Martinez in his praise for Silva as an indispensable cog of the Manchester City machine that has run since the Blues signed their captain from AS Monaco for £43 million in the summer of 2017.