Bernardo Silva Fires Back: Manchester City Star Refuses to Back Down from Liverpool Controversy

Bernardo Silva remained completely unrepentant about his decision not to participate in Liverpool's guard of honour following their Premier League triumph in 2020.

Following English football custom, Manchester City's squad was supposed to form a line and applaud the Reds as they entered the Etihad Stadium as newly crowned champions. The stubborn Portuguese playmaker conspicuously declined to participate in the clapping, instead standing in his training attire clutching his shin guards and a coffee cup.

Time has done nothing to change Bernardo's position. "I'm a terrible loser, absolutely," he admitted during a conversation with The Times. "I despise losing. I spent 12 years at Benfica where they instilled in us never to find joy in defeat."

Silva proceeded to challenge the guard of honour tradition itself. "From my perspective, it's somewhat hypocritical," he declared. "It's not something we practice in Portugal. If others choose to participate, that's their choice, but I wasn't about to applaud Liverpool because that's not my way of handling loss. When I claim a championship, I don't require others to acknowledge me with applause."

For the first time in Silva's eight-season tenure in east Manchester, City failed to secure any silverware during the 2024–25 season. The 31-year-old couldn't assist the former Premier League champions in rising above third place, witnessed them suffer a 6–3 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League and exit the Carabao Cup in the fourth round. City concluded a disappointing season with a loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

"There's significant remorse among the squad, the coach, everyone for our poor performance last season," he reflected. "A club with our background, our talent, even considering our injury problems, we shouldn't have declined so rapidly. We should have performed better to navigate through this challenge. Regarding title contention, we barely made an effort."

"I believe mentally we've definitely returned," Silva continued. "In terms of regaining our desire, we're back."