“If I talk a lot, I’ll cry” – Pep Guardiola’s emotional message to Bernardo Silva ahead of Manchester City exit

Guardiola: If I talk a lot about Bernardo, I will cry

Guardiola struggled to contain his emotion as he began to speak about Silva, making clear from the outset that the occasion carried a weight beyond football.

“If I talk a lot, I will cry,” he said. “Just I can say, ‘Thank you so much, from the deepest of my heart, on behalf of this club, what you have done’.

“Bernardo has proved that football starts from here [the brain], to the feet. And that guy is not the fastest, quickest, but knows exactly in every single moment what every single action requires. Never injured, always committed.

“Last season defined Bernardo for me; when everybody was not there, always he was there, suffering the first. His mentality.

“And he has one thing that is important; always he sees the positive things in the life. That’s why his life will be so happy with his wife Ines and the kids, he will be so happy because always he’s positive.”

Write LEGEND in capital letters for Bernardo, says Pep

Guardiola then turned to the question of how Silva should be remembered and left no doubt about the answer.

“Stay humble” – Erling Haaland’s title race message to Manchester City squad after Arsenal win

“He deserves the biggest recognition,” the Manchester City manager added. “When you write ‘LEGEND’, you have to write in capital letters, because he has been. For every single game during nine years!

“He’s a special, special player. All I can say is where he will go, the team will be so lucky to have him!”

The comments represent the most heartfelt public send-off Guardiola has given any player during his nine years at the Etihad Stadium, and they are entirely consistent with the affection the 55-year-old has shown for Silva throughout their time together.

Silva has six weeks remaining on his contract and will spend them chasing a domestic treble that would represent the most extraordinary of farewells. For Guardiola, there are clearly not enough words or enough composure to do justice to what the Portuguese has meant to him.