Man City ace Bernardo: I want Benfica return; Haaland should've won Ballon d'Or

Posted Thursday, December 28, 2023 by Tribalfootball.com

Manchester City ace Bernardo Silva admits returning to Benfica is in his career plan.

Bernardo says playing out his final days with Benfica is an ambition.

He told A Bola: "Of course I want to return and I hope it happens one day [... ], but at this moment it would be impossible because Manchester City would ask for a lot of money.

"I am a player valued at more than 50 million (euros). No Portuguese club can pay that money. If I come back, it would be when my contract ends.

"When I was young I saw Barça made up of young players, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, and being coached by Pep. That was an inspiration for me. Watching a Barcelona game was undoubtedly an inspiration and one of my dreams was for Pep to coach me."

Bernardo also spoke of City teammate Erling Haaland being snubbed for the Ballon d'Or.

He added: "If Bayern wins the Champions League, the Bayern striker who scored 40 goals in the season will win the Ballon d'Or. City wins the Champions League. .. and coincidentally it wasn't Haaland, because (Lionel) Messi won the World Cup. If it hadn't been for Messi's World Cup, it would have been Haaland who would have won the Ballon d'Or."