Bernardo Silva has named his greatest teammates XI after leaving Manchester City – and it’s absolutely insane.

The Portuguese midfielder has had an incredible career. He spent his youth at Benfica, before enjoying a highly successful few years in France with AS Monaco.

His form for the Ligue 1 giants attracted the attention of Man City, and he made a €70 million move to the Citizens in 2017. He made a total of 460 appearances for the club, scoring 76 times and helping them to 19 trophies.

At international level, the 31-year-old has been capped 107 times by Portugal and was part of their teams that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.

Since making his professional debut in 2013, Silva has played with a plethora of world-class players, and he has now picked the best of the best in an interview with DAZN.

Goalkeeper and Defenders

Silva chose Ederson in goal over the likes of Rui Patricio, Diogo Costa and Gianluigi Donnarumma. Ederson kept 164 clean sheets and conceded just 311 goals in 372 games for City.

At right-back, he chose Matheus Nunes over Kyle Walker, while at left-back Joao Cancelo was given the nod ahead of PSG star Nuno Mendes.

Silva played with so many legendary centre-backs, including with Ricardo Carvalho and Pepe for Portugal, as well as Vincent Kompany at City. None of the aforementioned trio made Silva’s side, with John Stones and Ruben Dias preferred.

Midfielders

Rodri has been outstanding since joining Man City, winning the Ballon d’Or in recognition of his efforts for club and country in 2024. However, he did not make Silva’s side. Instead, Silva picked former Monaco and Portugal teammate Joao Moutinho at defensive midfield.

While in the centre of midfield, Silva included Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan.

Among the midfielders that Silva overlooked in favour of the trio include PSG star Vitinha, Manchester United ace Bruno Fernandes and Ivorian legend Yaya Toure. David Silva, Fernandinho and Phil Foden are among the other notable players that missed out.

Forwards

Silva played alongside Mbappe on 44 occasions for Monaco. While he was only just starting out his career at the time, the Frenchman was so good that Silva had to put him on the left-wing. On the opposite side, Silva selected Riyad Mahrez, ahead of the likes of Raheem Sterling.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in football history and there was no surprise that Silva picked him as the greatest striker he has ever played alongside. Ronaldo has scored nearly 1000 professional goals, with nearly 150 of them coming for his country.

Ronaldo’s inclusion up front means that some legendary strikers have been missed out. Erling Haaland, who has shattered record-after-record at City, has been left out of Silva’s team, as has Sergio Aguero.

After Gabriel’s emotional statement, another player has spoken out in the wake of Arsenal’s heartbreaking loss on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, causing a huge stir on various social media platforms.

Arsenal had the lead for almost an hour in the Puskas Arena before Ousmane Dembele’s penalty cancelled out Kai Havert’s opener. Extra time couldn’t split them, and it was on to penalties, where Eberechi Eze and then Gabriel’s failure to find the target took the trophy back to Paris.

The player in question wasted no time in making his feelings known following the devastating shoot-out defeat. Arsenal came within a single saved penalty of lifting the trophy before PSG’s players were celebrating back-to-back European titles. For Arsenal supporters still processing the pain of what unfolded, his message will resonate deeply. It was a defiant, declaration of war on anyone who ever doubted the club he represents.

It was raw, unfiltered emotion from a player who’s heard every criticism, absorbed every dig, and watched every pundit write Arsenal off.

Declan Rice Fires Defiant Message to Arsenal’s Critics

Declan Rice, the £100 million player who’s become one of Arsenal’s linchpins, was interviewed during their Premier League title parade, and had some harsh words for Arsenal’s doubters:

Rice’s words carry particular personal weight, given that he arrived at Arsenal under the scrutiny that comes with a British record transfer fee and faced relentless questioning in his early months at the club. But nobody can question him, or even Arsenal now, given what they’ve achieved this season.

Declan Rice Promises Arsenal are Coming for More Next Season

If the first part of Rice’s message was aimed firmly at the doubters, the second was a statement of intent:

When the comments appeared on social media, they sparked a strong response.

It’s the kind of rallying cry that sets the tone for everything that follows. Arsenal have their league title, and they’ve reached a Champions League final, and if Declan Rice has anything to say about it, Budapest wasn’t the end of the story, it was only the beginning.

It was the moment that ended Arsenal’s dream of becoming champions of Europe, and now the man at the centre of it has spoken.

With the match locked at 1-1, Gabriel Magalhaes stepped up to take Arsenal’s fifth penalty in the Champions League final shoot-out against Paris Saint Germain, needing to score to keep the Gunners alive. He skied his effort over the crossbar, handing PSG back-to-back Champions League titles and leaving Arsenal to relive the pain they felt when Barcelona beat them 2-1 two decades ago.

For the opening hour, everything went to plan. Kai Havertz gave Arsenal the dream start, smashing in an opener on the break after just six minutes to send the red half of Budapest into raptures. The Gunners were disciplined, organised and dangerous on the counter, exactly as Arteta has always set them up to be.

The holders of the trophy equalised on the 65-minute mark. Ousmane Dembele converted from the spot after Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Arsenal’s fury then grew during extra time, when a perceived foul on Noni Madueke by Nuno Mendes was waved away by referee Daniel Siebert.

With neither side able to find a winner, the tie went to penalties. Eberechi Eze missed first for Arsenal, before David Raya kept the Gunners in it by saving from Mendes. But when Gabriel’s decisive kick soared into the Budapest sky, the match was over.

Gabriel Addresses Arsenal Fans Ahead of Premier League Title Parade

Despite the heartbreak, Arsenal’s players had reason to come together, with the club’s Premier League title parade taking place the very next day. And that proved to be the moment that Gabriel took to Instagram to break his silence on the penalty miss.

It was a message that struck the right note. Honest about the hurt, but not wallowing in it, a reminder that for all the agony of Budapest, this Arsenal side have just delivered their first league title in 22 years and reached a Champions League final for only the second time in the club’s history.

Gabriel himself has been a cornerstone of everything Arteta had built at the back, and his willingness to step up and take the fifth penalty, knowing the pressure that came with it, said something important about his character even if the outcome wasn’t what anyone connected with Arsenal had hoped for.

Arsenal’s Road to the Champions League Final

The scale of Arsenal’s achievement this season deserves to be recognised, even amid the disappointment of falling at the final hurdle. Their Champions League campaign was, for the most part, nothing short of outstanding.

A perfect eight from eight in the league phase, with just four goals conceded, set the tone for what came. They were organised and clinical in equal measure, and the knockout rounds only reinforced that impression. Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon and Atletico Madrid were all dispatched in the knockout rounds without Arsenal suffering a single defeat.

So, losing on penalties in a final, after leading and then being denied what many felt was a legitimate penalty claim in extra time, is about as cruel as football can be. But this Arsenal squad is young, hungry and built to compete at this level for years to come.

Budapest hurt. But it doesn’t have to be the end of the story.