Bernardo Silva used to be Rui Costa's ball boy

Silva was born in Lisbon where his love for football saw him join the Benfica academy as a seven-year-old, but it came at a price..

"I'm a Benfica fan but my mum's side support Sporting Lisbon and my dad's family support Benfica. Benfica is the best club in Portugal and I spent 12 years there.

"When I turned seven, my grandfather and my mum paid for me to join Benfica's academy for two months as a birthday present. After those two months, I did not have to pay because I was selected for the next level.

"That was done by my grandfather, who was a Sporting fan. He knew I was a huge Benfica fan and he knew I wanted to play, so I'm very grateful.

"When I was about 15, Rui Costa was playing his last game and I was a ball boy. He plays in my position and he is one of the best midfielders Portugal has known. He was a big inspiration for me as one of my idols.

"I played three senior games and then I had to move to Monaco because Benfica wanted me to go back to the B team. It was difficult to move but I had to do it.

"My dream from seven to 19 was always to play for the first team at Benfica. When I arrived in the first team, I started noticing they did not count on me and I was moved to left-back."