Manchester City had English football’s ‘best ever generation’ of players, says Bernardo Silva | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva has insisted that the greatest ever generation of players seen in English football came at the Etihad Stadium, speaking in a new interview.

The Manchester City captain’s remarks arrive at a time of transition for the club, with several iconic figures of the Pep Guardiola era having departed in recent seasons and a new core now being asked to carry the standards established during City’s most dominant period.

Silva – one of the few remaining senior figures from the squad that defined that era – has been candid in assessing both the scale of past success and the challenge of sustaining it. Since arriving in 2017, Silva has been at the heart of City’s rise to unprecedented domestic dominance, contributing to multiple Premier League titles, historic points tallies, and record-breaking attacking outputs.

That sustained excellence has inevitably invited comparisons with other great teams in English football history. However, from Silva’s perspective, what separated City’s peak years was not just the volume of silverware, but the consistency with which records were broken and standards were raised season after season.

The midfielder has frequently spoken about the internal culture built under Pep Guardiola, one that demanded relentless improvement regardless of previous success. And as City now attempt to re-establish that rhythm following squad turnover, Silva’s reflections serve as both a defence of what has been achieved and a reminder of the patience required in evolution.

Speaking in a new interview with BBC Sport’s Kelly Somers, Bernardo Silva said, “We’re trying to bring that culture back knowing at this level it’s not easy.

“I’d love to tell you that what we did in my first seven years is something normal but it’s not, because in seven years winning six Premier Leagues, a Treble, a domestic quadruple, 100 points, breaking the record of goals… obviously I’m a bit biased, but I could argue that generation was the best ever in English football.

“That’s not normal, you cannot expect that to last forever. Obviously, if you look at the Champions League final, for example, from that team, seven or eight players already left – very important players. Big names like Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez, or Cole Palmer – he left, wasn’t playing much, but he left and he was a very good player.”

The Manchester City captain continued, “And there’s a new generation coming that needs time to adapt. I’ve been through that process once and it went really well. When Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, David Silva left, the change was made a bit slow because we were winning, it’s easier.

“When you’re losing, it’s more difficult to make that change, you put more pressure on the young guys. I still believe this club and these players have a lot of potential, a little bit of time and patience.

“I know it’s tough in football at this level, but I really think this club can turn things around and go back. I don’t know to the standards that were, because that’s not easy, it’s reality, but hopefully… I’ll try to help them as much as possible for them in the future to be in a good place to fight for that.”

Looking back towards the ongoing season, Bernardo Silva also spoke of the importance in winning silverware again, “It would mean a lot because at this club it is not acceptable not to win. If you don’t win, the club will make decisions again and it’s normal.

“It’s part of the business, and that’s the way it is – that’s good. If you want to play for Man City, you need to win. If you don’t win, you don’t deserve to be here. So that pressure that’s on us, it’s a good one and we take it.”

The 31-year-old continued, “I think we’re in a much, much better position [to win silverware compared to last season]. You cannot compare. If you said to me last season, with no injuries, last season was a very, very good squad.

“But with all the injuries that we had, and with all the problems that we had, I would say that right now we’re much more prepared to fight for titles.”

Looking ahead, Bernardo Silva’s comments underline both the scale of Manchester City’s recent history under Pep Guardiola and the expectations that continue to define life at the Etihad Stadium.

The versatile and legendary midfielder has consistently stressed that patience does not mean lowered standards, particularly at a club like Manchester City – who are accustomed to competing for the biggest honours.

As one of the remaining links between City’s past and future, Silva’s leadership will be central to guiding the next generation through a demanding period of transition. Whether or not the club can replicate the heights of that historic era remains to be seen, but the message from the captain is that the ambition to return to the summit remains firmly intact.