‘Don’t like either!’ - Bernardo Silva gives hilarious response to Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate as Man City star plays down nicknames

Named as the A Bola Figure of the Year 2023, Silva gave a lengthy interview to the Portuguese newspaper, touching on a range of topics. One of the more light-hearted moments came towards the end of the chat, when the Manchester City star was asked which of his two nicknames he preferred.

When asked if he preferred to be called the 'Messi of Seixal' (the area of Lisbon that Silva comes from) or the Ronaldo of Manchester, Silva played his straight down the line.

"I don't like either of them," he laughed, "Because comparisons are always made... I like being Bernardo. Of course it's a source of pride sometimes to be compared to one player or another, but I don't like either of those nicknames."

The interview touched on a range of different subjects, with Silva making the admission that he feels a little overlooked by football fans in his own country. The 29-year-old left Portugal before breaking into the Benfica first team and missed his country's Euro 2016 win due to injury. “Am I undervalued? No, people value me a lot. Maybe in Portugal not as much as abroad. I think people value me a lot more in France, where I played, and in England than in my own country, but maybe it has to do with the fact that I left quite early."

One place that Silva is not not undervalued is the Etihad, where City host bottom side Sheffield United on Saturday looking to keep up the pressure on leaders Liverpool and Arsenal.