- Haaland praises Bernardo Silva after message
- Calls him his smartest ever teammate
- Highlights impact over nine years
Erling Haaland has paid tribute to Bernardo Silva aftet the Manchester City captain announced he will be departing the club this summer.
Bernardo Silva recently confirmed his departure from Manchester City through an emotional message on social media.
Tributes came flooding in after the post from multiple players as well as City’s supporters, with everyone keen to pay tribute to the legendary midfielder.
Erling Haaland was one of the quickest to react, as he took part in an interview at the club’s training ground on Thursday afternoon.
Erling Haaland praises Bernardo Silva
Talking to Sky Sports, the Haaland praised Silva for his abilities on and off the pitch, also recounting some of the midfielder’s legendary moments with the club.
Likewise, the striker spoke about the trophies the Portuguese international has won with the Citizens, which is just one indicator of his huge impact over the years.
“The smartness, you know, he’s probably the smartest player I’ve ever played with, you know, because of just the way he kind of controls the game and everything”, Haaland said.
“So talk about his City career, the last nine years, I think, has been crazy. Look at this. I think he has six Premier Leagues. Look at his trophies. He won the Champions League.
“Look at how important he was in the treble season when he scored against Bayern, when he scored two against [Real] Madrid.
“It’s difficult to find words because he’s been such an important figure for this club for the last nine years and also been shaping the club with the way he’s been on and off the pitch.”
Silva leaves a specific gap
While Silva’s output can be replicated, the intelligence he brought to the game will be very hard to replace.
Despite playing with some of the same smartest midfielders in his career, Haaland pointed out that the 31-year-old’s intelligence is one of his biggest assets.
Mentioning the player’s best moments with the club also points to the unbelievable consistency of his performances. Delivering in big games was also one of Silva’s biggest skills.
Barcelona is still on the table
It is no secret that Barcelona have been one of Silva’s dream destinations. Moreover, despite some hesitancy from their side, the 31-year-old might well be on track for a move to La Liga.
The midfielder will certainly not be hanging up his boots yet and he has options to move to the Saudi Pro League and MLS. However, his option is to remain in Europe.
Luckily for the six-time Premier League winner, his agent has close relations with Barcelona’s management. If things proceed in an orderly manner, there could be an announcement on his next club soon.
Still, Juventus and Benfica are also clubs to have been mentioned, so right now it is too early to know for sure where the City skipper is heading next.
