Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has admitted he was left with mixed emotions when he was named as the club’s new captain, replacing Kevin de Bruyne.
Noticias Ao Minuto cover comments from the Manchester City midfielder today. He recently appeared on DAZN in Portugal to discuss various Manchester City matters.
Silva is the current Manchester City captain after De Bruyne departed in the summer. The Belgian star elected to bring his trophy-laden spell with the Cityzens to an end. He eventually ended up joining Napoli on a free transfer.
While that left a big hole to fill on the pitch, it also meant Pep Guardiola had to pick a new Manchester City captain. De Bruyne had only filled in the role since early 2025, when Kyle Walker departed on loan for AC Milan. The full-back had held the armband since 2025.
The captain’s role at Manchester City has generally been held by midfielders over the last six years. Vincent Kompany held it from 2011 to 2019 beforehand. David Silva, Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan then held it from 2019 to 2023, before Walker’s tenure.
Splitting from Manchester City captain was hard
Now it is Silva’s turn, although he admits he took up the honour with a slight sense of mixed emotions.
“The first time he told me about it was at the end of last season,” he said.
“It was a difficult time because it was at a time when a friend was leaving. It was when Kevin, who was our captain, was leaving. And so, for me personally, I had been with him for eight years, it was hard to see him go.
“It ends up being a mix of the two things you said. It’s a great honor, because obviously, in my 9th year… to be able to play, to be the voice of the team with the coach and also outside.
“And also, to try to be that voice of help for the new guys who arrive so that they adapt as quickly as possible.”
