While Real Madrid will challenge AS Roma in the Champions League this evening, there is a man who is being talked about a lot in the Spanish capital. And for once, it’s not Kylian Mbappé. Nor even Vinicius Jr, much criticized recently, or José Mourinho, who still does not convince. This is Bernardo Silva, who arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu only a few weeks ago.
This summer, everyone seemed convinced that the Merengues had made a superb move by enlisting the Lusitanian, who arrived free of any contract. It must be said that Real Madrid’s two rivals – FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid – were also there, but the presence of Mourinho made the difference. However, the Special One does not really seem to count on his compatriot, who has only played 6 matches this season, including 3 starts. He has not started a match since September 12 and this match against Rayo, and did not even come into play in his team’s last two matches, against Elche before the break and against Villarreal last weekend.
A disappearance that questions
A situation which clearly raises questions in Spain, with a multitude of articles and debates about it in recent days. Especially given the team’s problems in midfield, particularly in terms of play creation, the Portuguese’s profile could be useful. “What’s happening with Bernardo Silva is very strange. That he played 15 minutes in the last 7 games, it’s amazing, it’s incomprehensible”for example, the journalist Siro Lopez got carried away on the Cadena COPE Tuesday evening. More than a simple misunderstanding, we are already at the stage of controversy.
Marca provides some answers and indicates in particular that initially, Mourinho saw Bernardo Silva as the ideal sidekick for Fede Valverde in the double-pivot of Real, but he quickly became disillusioned, believing that the former City and Monaco player cannot evolve in this position. If the possibility of playing on one side had been mentioned upon his arrival, it no longer seems relevant today, especially since on the right side, Arda Güler is untouchable. A few days ago, journalist Iñaki Angulo explained that Bernardo Silva was in a much lower physical state than Real Madrid expected, and that internally at the club, it is believed that he is no longer able to play at the highest level. It remains to be seen whether the Portuguese international will have the opportunity to prove the opposite this evening against Roma…
