OPINION: Man City star Bernardo to rival Messi and Van Dijk for the Ballon d’Or

  /  autty

Bernardo Silva deserves to be challenging Virgil Van Dijk and Lionel Messi for this years Ballon d'Or.

It might be an unpopular opinion, but Bernardo Silva deserves to be in the discussion for the Ballon d'Or award alongside Liverpool stalwart Virgil Van Dijk and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. He helped lead Manchester City to an unprecedented domestic treble (plus community shield) and won the Nations League with Portugal this week as well.

Those who watch him closely will know the value of Bernardo. He might be an agile attacking midfielder in nature but possessed with an unreal work rate, stamina, and athleticism (Highest distance covered by a player in the Premier League this season (13.7 km, v/s Liverpool)). On top of that, he has a cheerful yet infectious demeanor which lights up every dressing room. According to Guardiola, Silva's character has been as influential as his on the field contributions, with the former Monaco player's Jovial nature is a brilliant fit in the City dressing room.

Let's look at Bernardo Silva's 2018/19 season by the numbers:

62 Apps for both club and country with a contribution of 14 Goals and 11 Assists – an immense amount of production for a midfielder.

He was crucial throughout Portugal's journey in the UEFA Nations League:

• Most chances created (16)

• Most take-ons (15)

• Most tackles (11)

• Most assists (2)

Silverware and Individual awards he won in the 2018/19 season:

In conclusion, Bernardo Silva should be considered among the top 10 players in the world. City's only defeat in the last four months of the 2018-19 campaign was when Bernardo was absent due to niggling injury v/s Spurs in the Champions League quarter-final first leg. He is a must-have player in the team sheet of both Fernando Santos and Pep Guardiola, and he is now set up to challenge for the Ballon D'Or like no City player has in recent years.

Related: Manchester City Portugal Messi Bernardo Silva Van Dijk
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