Bernardo Silva was named in Portugal’s World Cup squad for Qatar and is expected to start in their opening group game with Ghana on Thursday, November 24, but Alex Goncalves made a big revelation on the Blue Moon Podcast about the 28-year-old’s reputation in the national team.
Goncalves believes Silva “is the star” of Portugal over Cristiano Ronaldo now and is more important to their success than the Manchester United forward who captains the side. Silva has made 72 caps for A Seleção, scoring eight goals with 24 assists, so he’s contributed a goal every 2.25 games on average.
Goncalves said on the 2022 World Cup Special: “What’s guaranteed is he will definitely be playing. I think you could say he’s probably actually the star of the Portuguese national team right now ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and everybody else.”
Silva has made 273 appearances in all competitions for City since joining from AS Monaco in 2017, scoring 50 goals with 56 assists. This season, the 28-year-old has made 22 appearances across the board, scoring two goals with five assists and has put in some fantastic midfield performances.
His future at the Etihad Stadium has been uncertain amid interest from Barcelona for the last two summer transfer windows, but Pep Guardiola is keen to keep him for the duration of his deal. And Silva has been just as indispensable for Portugal, missing just three games in the last four years. He’s also had a hand in seven goals from his last 13 internationals.
In other news, Tim Vickery tips Ederson to be dropped by Brazil at the World Cup
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