‘I have this gap in my heart and I need to fill it’ – Bernardo Silva explains Benfica desire

Bernardo Silva says he wants to return to Benfica because he did not get the chance to break into the first-team during his time at the club.

The Manchester City winger joined the Portuguese giants’ youth system at the age of seven and rose through the youth academy to reach the senior team when he was 19.

The Portugal international made just three appearances for Benfica in 2013-14, but did not play more than 15 minutes in any and featured just once in the Primeira Liga.

Silva was then loaned to Monaco and joined them on a permanent deal before City snapped him up in 2017.

He has gone on to excel for Pep Guardiola’s team, but the 25-year-old has been open about his desire to return to Benfica at some point in his career.

Silva says he feels he has unfinished business at his boyhood team, but believes his return is years away.

“I don’t know how to answer that,” Silva told Bleacher Report when asked when he would like to return to Portugal. “What I can tell you is not in one, two, three or four years, for sure, because I am in a great club.

“I am enjoying my career a lot, I don’t want to go back now but I don’t want to go when I’m too old. I want to go help my team when I am in a good physical condition. I don’t know the exact age – not too old but not now.

“I’ll explain a bit more why I want to do that. I’m a Benfica fan, I used to go to all the games with my dad so my dream was always to play for Benfica and when I was 19 and playing for the second team I didn’t have the opportunity to play for the first team because the manager didn’t want me there or think I was able to play for the first team.

“It was a huge disappointment for me to have to leave, go to Monaco to have a good career. Because I’ve never played for my team, I have this gap in my heart and I need to fill it. Not now, obviously, but if they want me there I definitely want to go back to Benfica one day.”