Manchester City are largely considered the best football team on the planet but Ruben Dias thinks one star still goes underrated.
City are the reigning champions of England, Europe and the whole world after a remarkable 2023.
Pep Guardiola’s side became the second English team to win the treble after finally clinching the Champions League trophy.
Things are looking promising for an unprecedented successive treble this season, too, with City still going strong in the three major competitions.
The Blues got their knock-out stage campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday in a 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden grabbing the goals.
After the match, Dias singled out his fellow countryman Bernardo for high praise.
Ruben Dias labels Bernardo Silva ‘underrated’
Speaking to The National, Dias said: “It’s unfair for me to say how good he is because I am his fellow Portuguese and we have a special connection.
“But that aside he is a key player for us because, first of all, how intelligent he is.
“Due to his personality and the fact that he is so funny people might think one thing or another about him but when times get rough he is always there.
“You can count on him. He has great qualities. He can play in so many different positions.
“He can remedy so many problems a team might have. “He is a big personality in the dressing room.
He has been a big footballer for a very long time. Sometimes people forget about that.
“The players know but maybe he is a little underrated. “He’s not too dissimilar to Ilkay Gundogan when he was here.
“Other players may get a lot of headlines but Bernardo is always there. The players with the assists and the goals will always get the biggest praise.
“That’s the way it works. But when you analyse why we have been winning so much over the past few years Bernardo’s name will be there.”
It suits City
Dias may want even greater recognition for Bernardo but it suits City just fine if he continues to fly under the radar.
Bernardo was open to leaving City for years and was linked heavily with Barcelona and Paris Gaint-Germain but they never made a solid offer.
If either club rated him as highly as they should have done, he might not be at the Etihad Stadium today.
The 29-year-old is one of the best footballers on the planet and it would be near-impossible to find a replacement who can do all he can at the same high level.
Considering City lost the influential Gundogan in the summer, Bernardo leaving too would have been a hammer blow.
So let Bernardo continue to be underrated.
