Captain Bernardo Silva to leave Manchester City: ‘Thank you for letting me be part of this journey’ | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City at the end of the season, he and the club confirmed on Thursday.

The midfielder spent nine years at City and had long been expected to move on when his contract expires in the summer.

He released a statement on his social media pages, reading: “When I arrived nine years ago, I was following a dream of a little boy, wanting to succeed in life, wanting to achieve great things. This city and this club gave me much more than that, much more than I ever hoped for.

“What we won and achieved together is a legacy that will forever be cherished in my heart. The Centurions, the domestic quadruple, the Treble, the Four In A Row and much more… It wasn’t that bad,” he wrote, followed by a winking emoji.

“In a few months it’s time to say goodbye to the city where not only we won so much as a football club, but also where I started my marriage and my family. From the bottom of my heart, Ines and Carlota, thank you!”

He went on to thank the club’s fans for their “unconditional support”, “something that I will never forget.”

“My main goal as a player was to always play with passion so you guys could feel proud and well represented on the pitch. I hope you felt that every single game. I arrived as a Man City player, I leave as one more of you, a Man City supporter for life. Keep supporting this young team and I’m pretty sure they will bring you a lot of new fantastic memories in the future.

“To the club, Pep, the staff and all my teammates these 9 years, thank you for all the memories and for letting me be a part of this journey for so long. The atmosphere we created every day in the training ground made me feel at home and a part of a big family. Let’s enjoy together these last weeks and fight for what this season still brings us.”

The 31-year-old, who joined from Monaco in 2017, is one of the most decorated players in City’s history, winning one treble and 19 trophies, including the Champions League in 2023 and six Premier Leagues.

Appointed captain for this season, he lifted his first silverware as skipper when they won the Carabao Cup last month.

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He was part of the victorious Champions League team in the 2022-23 season (Getty)

Silva has made more appearances under Pep Guardiola than anyone else – with his 450th City game coming in the 4-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday – and was named City’s player of the season in 2018-19.

A club statement paid homage to his “glorious” nine-year spell with the club, adding: “The 31-year-old’s contribution to our greatest sustained period of success is incalculable.

“Alongside that phenomenal trophy haul, a tally of 76 goals and 77 assists further illustrate Bernardo’s magnificent all-round contribution to the City cause.

“He recently moved into the top 10 of all-time City appearance holders, overtaking a host of other notable former players, including David Silva, Paul Power and Willie Donachie.

“In short, he will be deservedly remembered both as one of City’s finest and most popular players of all time.”

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Silva celebrating for Man City after defeating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final (Reuters)

Assistant manager Pep Lijnders let the news slip earlier this month, saging that “every good story comes to an end” and that the Portugal international is in the final weeks of his time at the Etihad Stadium.

Lijnders said: “Every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well.”

Silva, who has attracted interest from Juventus recently, was a past target for Barcelona and had wanted to move on to a warmer climate than Manchester.

Lijnders admitted City will face a struggle to bring in a similar player, adding: “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don't exist. Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things.

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Bernardo Silva (right) has played more games under Pep Guardiola than anyone else (Nick Potts/PA Wire)

“You never search for a replacement of one type of player. You search for what is needed to grow with the team and somebody who can fit in the first 11. And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought, that they can make that step as well in the midfield positions.

“If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow. But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they stay, that they stay. That they are always there and around that, you can move.

“But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing, you will see how he is missed, and that’s one game. Imagine a season.”