Nothing sounds better for a footballer than playing for an elite Premier League team and winning the title after title year after year.
Titles are expected at Manchester City – more than one, at the very least. And they’ve done it every year since 2017, bringing nine major awards to the Etihad Stadium.
However, for Bernardo Silva, one of their standout players last season, there may be a sense that too much success breeds too much expectation, to the point where City are not being credited for the brilliance they continue to display throughout the season.
The Portugal international opened up about his time in the north of England following his best season yet last season, and the diminutive midfielder believes City’s players are underappreciated despite their accolades and dominance over the last half-decade.
“From Man City fans, definitely. I feel a lot of support, and they show a lot of appreciation for what I do,” Silva told ESPN after being asked whether he believed City get the credit they deserve over their performances.
“From [the] outside, it’s complicated. I’m not complaining here, but I feel like other clubs get a lot more credit than Man City for doing less. For example, when I was at Benfica – a huge club in Portugal with more fans, more everything – you do something nice, and they make it look like it’s great. Here at Man City, you do something great and they make it look like it’s just good.
“Again, I’m not complaining, but playing in the Premier League and winning four titles in five years and checking the Premier League team of the year every year and knowing that we’re never the team that has the most players. We don’t have the best manager, we don’t have the best players, but we still win four Premier Leagues in five years? It just doesn’t make sense. It shows that Man City players don’t get as much credit as they should.
“For me, it doesn’t matter honestly. I’m happy with our titles and the memories that we won four times in the last five years. Of course, we don’t get the credit that we deserve.”
He has a valid point; Jurgen Klopp was named Premier League manager of the season after finishing second the previous season, and only three City players were named to the Team of the Season despite winning it yet again. Perhaps European glory is required to fully cement their names in the minds of fans across the country.
