Benfica’s presidential candidate João Noronha Lopes pledged to bring Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva back to Lisbon in 2026, if not as soon as January.
The Portuguese star was only made Manchester City captain this summer, but has been unsettled at the Etihad for years. Each off-season seemingly brings a new saga linking Bernardo with a City exit only for him to remain in Sky Blue and excel under Pep Guardiola.
2026 may finally be different. The 31-year-old will be out of contract in June and has offered few hints about a potential extension. Ahead of Benfica’s elections for a new club president on Oct. 25, Lopes is dangling the carrot of Bernardo’s return.
“Yes, I confirm that there’s a contract waiting for Bernardo Silva,” the candidate told A Bola. “And I really want to bring Bernardo in in January. He embodies everything I want for Benfica: identity, a winning culture, and he’s a huge Benfica fan. And I can guarantee you that we’re not stopping here.”
Despite growing up with a mother and grandfather who supported Sporting CP, Benfica’s fierce city rivals, Bernardo grew up as an avid fan of the club his father lauded. Incidentally, it was the Sporting side of the family which paid for a young Silva to spend two months at Benfica’s academy as a seventh birthday present. After impressing his youth team coaches with a velcro touch and wriggling dribbling, he didn’t need to pay thereafter.
The former Benfica ball boy eventually worked his way up to the senior side only to be afforded three senior appearances. “My dream from 7 to 19 was always to play for the first team at Benfica,” Bernardo told the BBC back in 2019. “When I arrived in the first team, I started noticing they did not count on me and I was moved to left back.”
Monaco promptly pounced, whisking the immensely talented attacking midfielder away to the Principality in 2014. City would pay €50 million (£43.2 million, $58.5 million) for Bernardo’s signature three years later. After amassing more than 400 appearances, 70 goals, 70 assists and every major trophy available, it has proven to be an incredibly fruitful relationship. Although, one which may soon be coming to an end.
Bernardo has spoken openly about his desire to return to Benfica, telling A Bola back in 2023: “I’ve never hidden that one day I want to go back, so of course I do. Now, we’ll see over time what’s possible.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Contract Waiting’—Bernardo Silva Sent Public January Transfer Plea by European Giants.