THE BALL – «Ronaldo told us he thought he deserved more Golden Balls» (Manchester City)

The Portuguese international Bernardo Silva left on this day, in an interview with France Football, the conviction that if the two-time English champions, Man. City, reach the ‘tri’ in the Premier League and win the Champions League in the season, “half of the team’s players will rightfully be on the list of 30 nominees for the Ballon d’Or”.

«I would love to win the Ballon d’Or, of course, but nowadays it is won by players who score decisive goals. I’m more collectivist, but of course it would be a source of pride to see my name on the list of the 30 finalists», said the 28-year-old player, trained at Benfica, in an interview in French (he played in Monaco, remember) and who will be published in the coming days, but from which the L´Équipe had access to a video excerpt.

′′ If we win the Champions and Premier League, I think we have to include Erling Haaland in the discussion of the 2023 Ballon d’Or winner. Right now, it’s very open, there are three or four players who can win it. If it were now, I would have to go for Messi, of course, Argentina were world champions. But Mbappé is also in the discussion, due to the time he spent with PSG and France. If I were a jury for the award, I would have to go for Messi today. But it’s best to wait until the end of the season. Vinícius Júnior, from Real Madrid, also had a fantastic season, and if they win the Champions League again, I don’t know”, said Bernardo Silva, acknowledging that he would be “a source of pride and also prestigious for Portugal” if his name appears in the 30 finalists indicated by the magazine.

«Portugal has already had three Ballon d’Or winners, and I cannot have a preference for any of them. First was Eusébio, the oldest to achieve it, and a player from my club, where I graduated, Benfica. Then, when he was 10 years old, Luís Figo. And when I arrived at the national team, it was Cristiano Ronaldo, our captain. If he talks about it? Sometimes, in the national team, he told us that he thought he deserved more, when he didn’t win: Cristiano likes to always be at the top, he’s very competitive, of course he’s never happy when he doesn’t win », revealed Bernardo Silva.

«Who is not usually on these lists is the [Ilkay] Gundogan [médio alemão de ascendência turca, seu companheiro de equipa no Man. City], which I think he should be and, I’m sure, will be for the next two to three years, on a regular basis, for what he plays. But, there it is, if the [Man.] City to win the Premier League again and the Champions, I think it will be of the most elemental justice for half of our team to appear in the 30 finalists nominated for the Golden Ball», said the Portuguese international of the ‘citizens’ in the interview.

“It was strange for me to see my name, for the first time, on one of those lists, alongside the best, like Messi and Cristiano, I confess. I thought ‘wow, I’m here, this is me, among the best’. But it’s a good feeling. But it will be very difficult, one day, for me to win the Ballon d’Or, because it is the players who score the decisive goals that are usually distinguished, I repeat», said Bernardo.

“But we have so many [candidatos a ganhar a Bola de Ouro] in City’s locker room. I usually make predictions, as a joke, with the [Riyad] Mahrez [médio argelino], I tell him that I will be seventh and he will be 29th. I was ninth once, and it was very good», revealed Bernardo Silva, aware that much of the luck of the 2023 individual trophies will depend on what Pep Guardiola’s men will do in what remains of a season in which they can still win the ‘tri ‘ in the gust Premier League, the Champions and the FA Cup (they play the final against Man. United).