Cristiano Ronaldo Although he’s been quite the valiant knight in shiny armor quite a few times this season for Manchester United, one pundit in particular is inclined to believe that Cristiano Ronaldo “isn’t even close” to Manchester City star, Bernardo Silva. Which is actually quite an interesting observation worth evaluating.
Paul Merson is definitely of the persuasion that Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is better than Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, with the former Arsenal midfielder stating that the City technician is currently “the best Portuguese player” in the Premier League.
Silva has slammed home seven thunderous goals and one assist in fifteen league appearances for Pep Guardiola’s table-topping side so far this season. The Portuguese’s scintillating performances from the center of the park for the reigning Premier League champions have been almost epiphanic. And Sky Sports pundit Merson has found his displays this season so captivating he believes Silva’s form has surpassed that of his Portuguese countryman CR7.
“Bernardo Silva is at the top of his game and is doing very well for himself,” Merson said to Sportskeeda.
“[Riyad] Mahrez, [Raheem] Sterling, and [Kevin] De Bruyne have been untouchable in the team in the past – now, Bernardo Silva is the talisman. Pep Guardiola has been pretty fortunate in that sense.
“I think Bernardo Silva’s the best Portuguese player in the Premier League at the moment. It isn’t even close, is it?
“Make no mistake – he’s never going to achieve the heights Ronaldo has scaled in his career. At the moment, however, you’d be hard-pressed to look past Bernardo Silva.”
Guardiola has also given the 27-year-old a similarly glowing review in previous weeks.
He has started the versatile midfielder in all but one of City’s Premier League fixtures this season, with the opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur being the only occasion Silva was not deployed
from the beginning. Silva entrenched himself into the headlines with a sublime volley in City’s recent 2-1 away victory against Aston Villa.
The Portuguese star ran onto an inch perfect cross, and blasted a sublime left footed volley into the top corner.
After his magnificent strike sealed the victory, Guardiola serenaded his star with a simple, but significant, assessment.
“He is the best,” Guardiola said after City’s 2-1 away victory against Aston Villa.
“He was the best two or three seasons ago. He was the best then too.
“He has a special ability to do whatever he wants with the ball. Against a good goalkeeper it was an incredible finish.
“You have to go back to when we won with 98 points, review the videos, you will see the same player like this right now.”
For the eleventh consecutive Premier League match, Silva played the full ninety minutes against Wolves.
Raheem Sterling’s penalty was enough, as City maintained their place at the top of the Premier League table.
But despite his side’s difficulty in breaking down Bruno Lage’s side after they were reduced to ten men, Guardiola was still satisfied with the victory.
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
