Guardiola, a great generation, and dogs called John and Charles

The Football Interview is a new series in which the biggest names in sport and entertainment join host Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations about the nation’s favourite sport.

We’ll explore mindset and motivation, and talk about defining moments, career highs and personal reflections. The Football Interview brings you the person behind the player.

Interviews will drop on Saturdays across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website. This week’s interview will be broadcast on BBC One from 23:20 GMT on Saturday, 13 December (00:05 on Sunday, 14 December in Scotland).

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No-one has played more games under Pep Guardiola than Bernardo Silva.

Silva has been picked more than 400 times by Manchester City manager Guardiola, who signed the Portugal midfielder in 2017.

They have won six Premier League titles together, while Silva has also won the Nations League title twice.

Silva sat down with Kelly Somers to talk about what it is like to play under Guardiola, his standout matches, and his dream of winning the World Cup.

Kelly Somers: Well, Bernardo, thank you for your time today. Let’s start with why football? How did you end up in this sport?

Bernardo Silva: It was an easy choice because it was always my passion. Since I remember, I always had the ball with me at home, even when my mum was a bit upset at my dad because I would break a few paintings or jars or whatever. I always had the ball with me and it was always my passion.

Kelly: Did you have brothers and sisters as well? Was it a family thing?

Bernardo: Two sisters. It was not a family thing. Obviously my dad is also a big football fan and he likes to play as well. And even my mum, she always went to football games, even though she’s not from my club, she’s from the rivals. So my dad’s side of the family is from one team, my mum’s the other side of the city.

Kelly: So is your dad’s team Benfica?

Bernardo: Yeah, my dad’s team Benfica, my mum’s team Sporting.

Kelly: That must have been controversial when you went to Benfica. What did she make of that?

Bernardo: No, she was happy. Actually, it was also my grandfather’s idea from my mum’s side. He was a Sporting supporter. They were always very supportive. I played 12 years at Benfica. Nine years at City now, but at Benfica from when I was seven until I was 19.

I’m a Benfica fan, but Benfica is the biggest club in Portugal. I would go to Benfica games with my dad. Since I was a little boy, it was always my dream to be there to play for that club so, yeah, I was really happy. And I was really lucky to get that opportunity of learning from the best coaches in Portugal, having the best facilities from that early age at Benfica.

Kelly: Who would you say has had the biggest influence on your career and the player you are today?

Bernardo: It’s difficult to say. I would say between Benfica and Man City for the time, because Monaco was three years – even though I was really happy there, it was only three years – Man City nine now. But I think it shaped me from when I was seven until 19. They gave me not only the football knowledge as a player, but also they shaped me a little bit as a man. They made me tougher and stronger.

At Monaco, even though it was shorter, they gave me the opportunity to start at the higher level, and at Man City I achieved everything and more than I ever dreamed for. I always dreamt of winning the Premier League, but I never imagined myself winning six. So, you know, Man City gave me more than I hoped for as a young kid, honestly.

Kelly: What about a team-mate or coach that shaped you particularly?

Bernardo: Pep is obviously a very big influence for me in terms of managers. Players… when I arrived at Monaco, I was very lucky to have Joao Moutinho there – a Portuguese player that is, for me, one of the most intelligent players that’s ever played for our country. So he also was a mentor for me and he was in a way also a manager because I learned a lot from him.

He was a big influence, but at Man City also I had a lot of really good players that taught me a lot – from Vincent Kompany to David Silva to Fernandinho. Different types of players and you learn different types of things, but I definitely had a lot of different influences in football.

Kelly: Did you hear what Pep said about you recently – that you’re one of the best he’s ever trained?

Bernardo: Yeah, I saw that and I’m happy that he feels that way because the players that he manages are not bad players! I think I’m the player with the most games played under Pep, so obviously he has that special affection for me because it’s been so long – but, as I said, the influence from Pep on me is massive. Nine years and I learned a lot.

Kelly: Pep has an interesting relationship with his players. It always looks, as outsiders, when we see him on the pitch at the end you might have won 4-0 and then he goes up and he’s really intensely talking to you. Have you been on the end of any of those?

Bernardo: Yeah, a lot of times. Sometimes I see that people think that he’s complaining to us, but it’s just the way he moves his arms a lot and being very passionate, but at the end he’s just talking about a small detail that he wants us to improve. Sometimes he’s really frustrated as well, obviously, but most of the time he uses a lot of his arms so it looks more than it actually is.

Kelly: If there was one game from your career that you could relive, what would it be?

Bernardo: Easy answer – Champions League final [2023, when City beat Inter Milan 1-0]. But even bad days for us… for example, if we talk about the game against Tottenham in the quarter-finals of the Champions League [2019] that we got knocked out, that was a fantastic game to be part of. So I have a lot of fantastic games, fantastic memories that I could choose.

Kelly: What about the toughest moment?

Bernardo: Well, Champions League final against Chelsea [2021] was a tough one when we lost 1-0, but I would say even more than the Champions League final, the one against Real Madrid in the semi-final [2022] when they scored two goals in the last two or three minutes. That one was tough to take because we were much better than them in both games for five minutes. You throw everything away. It was a very frustrating experience. At the end we got it, but the Champions League was a tough journey for us.

Kelly: You mentioned there the word frustrating. Is that how you sum up parts of the last couple of years here at Manchester City?

Bernardo: Well, yeah, we’re trying to bring that culture back knowing that at this level it’s not easy. I would 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, winning a Treble, winning a domestic quadruple, doing 100 points, breaking the record of goals… obviously I’m a bit biased, but I could argue that that generation was the best ever in English football.

So that is not normal, so 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. You’re talking about big names like Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Julian Alvarez, or Cole Palmer – he left, he wasn’t playing much but he left – and he was a very good player.

And there’s a new generation coming that needs time to adapt. I’ve been through that process once and it went really well because when Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, David Silva left, the change was made a bit slowly because we were winning, so it’s easier. When you’re losing, it’s more difficult to make that change, and you put more pressure on the young guys. I still believe that 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 that 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 the reality, but hopefully… I will try to help them as much as possible for them in the future to be in a good place to fight for that.

Kelly: How much would it mean, then, given all you’ve just said if you were to lift silverware this season?

Bernardo: Well that’s the aim. 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.

Kelly: Do you think you’re in a position to win silverware this season compared to where you were last season?

Bernardo: I think we’re in a much, much better position. 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.

Kelly: I want to take you back to a young Bernardo. What were you like as a child?

Bernardo: I was very energetic. I liked to believe that I was a very happy kid and with a lot of passion to try and succeed in life.

Kelly: What was your earliest non-football memory?

Bernardo: Fighting with my older sister… is that a good one?!

Kelly: You have two sisters. Are they into football? Do they come and watch or is it quite nice to talk to them about it differently?

Bernardo: I still believe that nowadays they have no clue what an offside is, but they support me! Wherever I am, they support me – I know that.

Kelly: Who’s your best friend in football?

Bernardo: Ruben Dias. Ruben is three years younger than me. So I remember him from the Benfica academy, but he wasn’t a friend back then. I’ve known Ruben really well on a daily basis for five and a half years now.

Kelly: How do you escape from football?

Bernardo: Well, my daughter and my wife help a lot, so when I get home and I see them, even when I lose, I forget about things. And I love doing stuff with them. I love going on trips with them or to watch a film at home. Whatever it is, I love to spend time with them. My daughter is two and a half years old almost. When I [have a day] off football, she takes all my time and energy.

Kelly: What’s your ideal day off?

Bernardo: Depends on where I am. If I was in Portugal, I would go to the beach, I would go to the pool, I would chill. Here in Manchester, when it’s too cold, it’s difficult. But on a normal day, I would say get my two dogs, go walk them, go with my wife, go to like a park or something and enjoy a bit of fresh air with them.

Kelly: What are your dogs’ names?

Bernardo: John and Charles. John is named, you know, after John Stones a long time ago. I got Charles from Wales. At that time, Prince Charles from Wales. So I thought Charles. I wanted an English name as well, because I had John already. So I chose Charles as well.

Kelly: Tell me one thing about yourself that would surprise me.

Bernardo: I think that I’m really good at football and I always dedicated my life to that. I actually have no clue what I would do if I wasn’t a football player. I never had the chance to explore hidden talents because I dedicated my life to football.

Kelly: My next question was going to be: ‘If I wasn’t a footballer I would be…’

Bernardo: I don’t know. It’s a very difficult question. I would love to know, because when I finish football, if I don’t want to stay in the game, I want to do something. I don’t want to stop, so that’s a very good question. I’m still going to try to find that out when I finish my career.

Kelly: I had a chat with your Portugal head coach, Roberto Martinez, recently, and he actually said: ‘When Bernardo finishes playing, he will be a manager.’ Is he right?

Bernardo: I don’t know. I think I could. I think I have a really good understanding of the game. I don’t know, because I dedicated so long and so much time of my life to this. When I finish my career, I want to spend time with my kids or travel with my wife or who knows… I love football. I think I’m going to miss it. I’m not sure. But if I miss it and I come back, probably it’s going to be to be as a manager.

Kelly: You’ve got a bit of time to decide. You’ve got a few more years in you, haven’t you?

Bernardo: A few more years, yeah.

Kelly: What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?

Bernardo: I would say that I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but don’t be afraid of failing. You know, like, go for it. If you fail, it’s all right. Also to have fun. When you enjoy what you do, you do it better.

Kelly: If you could achieve only one more thing in your career, what would it be?

Bernardo: That’s an easy one. I need a World Cup. It would be the biggest achievement of my life because Portugal has never done that. It’s the only trophy that Portugal, our country, has never won, so I would love to do that.