Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season, ending an eight-year spell that has placed him among the club’s most decorated modern players. The 31-year-old said on Instagram that he arrived at City as a player and will leave as a supporter for life, closing a chapter that began with his move from Monaco in 2017.
Silva leaves with 76 goals, 77 assists and 451 appearances, numbers that have pushed him into joint-eighth on City’s all-time appearances list alongside Mike Summerbee. Last month’s Carabao Cup victory was his 15th major honour with the club, a run that includes the 2017-18 Premier League title with 100 points, the 2018-19 domestic quadruple, the Champions League in 2023 and four consecutive league crowns from 2021 to 2024. He has also won six Premier League titles in his first eight seasons and was named captain after Kevin de Bruyne left at the end of last season.
Silva’s farewell matters now because City are still fighting on two fronts. They are second in the league and face Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals on 25 April, with one of the club’s most consistent performers saying the next few weeks should still be savoured. On Instagram, he said the “legacy” they built together would be cherished forever, called the Centurions, the Treble and the four in a row “not that bad,” and told supporters to keep backing a young side he believes will create more memories.
That leaves a rare mix of certainty and unfinished business. City know one of the defining figures of their modern era is on the way out, yet there is still a final stretch to play with the same player who said his main goal was always to play with passion so fans could feel proud and well represented on the pitch. For a team built on serial winning, Silva’s departure is both a farewell and a measure of how far the club has come.
