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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Silva has slammed home seven thunderous goals and one assist in fifteen league appearances for Pep Guardiola\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
“Bernardo Silva is at the top of his game and is doing very well for himself,\u201d Merson said to Sportskeeda.<\/p>\n
“[Riyad] Mahrez, [Raheem] Sterling, and [Kevin] De Bruyne have been untouchable in the team in the past \u2013 now, Bernardo Silva is the talisman. Pep Guardiola has been pretty fortunate in that sense.<\/p>\n
“I think Bernardo Silva’s the best Portuguese player in the Premier League at the moment. It isn\u2019t even close, is it?<\/p>\n
“Make no mistake \u2013 he’s never going to achieve the heights Ronaldo has scaled in his career. At the moment, however, you\u2019d be hard-pressed to look past Bernardo Silva.”<\/p>\n
Guardiola has also given the 27-year-old a similarly glowing review in previous weeks.<\/p>\n
He has started the versatile midfielder in all but one of City\u2019s Premier League fixtures this season, with the opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur being the only occasion Silva was not deployed<\/p>\n
from the beginning. Silva entrenched himself into the headlines with a sublime volley in City\u2019s recent 2-1 away victory against Aston Villa.<\/p>\n
The Portuguese star ran onto an inch perfect cross, and blasted a sublime left footed volley into the top corner.<\/p>\n
After his magnificent strike sealed the victory, Guardiola serenaded his star with a simple, but significant, assessment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is the best,” Guardiola said after City\u2019s 2-1 away victory against Aston Villa.<\/p>\n
“He was the best two or three seasons ago. He was the best then too.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a special ability to do whatever he wants with the ball. Against a good goalkeeper it was an incredible finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to go back to when we won with 98 points, review the videos, you will see the same player like this right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the eleventh consecutive Premier League match, Silva played the full ninety minutes against Wolves.<\/p>\n
Raheem Sterling\u2019s penalty was enough, as City maintained their place at the top of the Premier League table.<\/p>\n
But despite his side\u2019s difficulty in breaking down Bruno Lage\u2019s side after they were reduced to ten men, Guardiola was still satisfied with the victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"