Bernardo Silva Joins Messi, Lewandowski in Elite Champions League Club
Bernardo Silva, the midfielder from Manchester City, emerged as the standout player in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
The 28-year-old had an outstanding performance, scoring two goals in the first half, which contributed to the English club’s decisive 4-0 victory (5-1 on aggregate) over Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Notably, Silva achieved an impressive feat, joining Lionel Messi in a remarkable statistic. OptaJose, on Twitter, highlighted that Silva became the third player to score two or more goals against Real Madrid in a Champions League semifinals match.
2+ – Bernardo Silva 🇵🇹 (2) is the third player to score 2+ goals against @realmadriden in a semi-finals match in @ChampionsLeague after Lionel Messi 🇦🇷 (2) and Robert Lewandowski 🇵🇱 (4), the first to achieve that in the second leg of this round. Chosen. pic.twitter.com/OMGOa9v845
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 17, 2023
Messi and Robert Lewandowski are the two other players who have achieved the feat of scoring two or more goals against Real Madrid in a Champions League semifinals match. Messi accomplished this in 2011, while Lewandowski recorded four goals in 2013.
Given Bernardo Silva’s exceptional performance, it is possible that his display has attracted the attention of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), as there have been rumors linking the Portuguese international to the French club. Following the match, Silva was questioned about the speculations connecting him to PSG and a potential return to Ligue 1.
“The program is to finish the season well, win the Premier League, try against United in the FA Cup final, and then Inter,” Silva said postgame. “After that, this summer, we’ll see what happens.”
It will be intriguing to observe how Bernardo Silva’s performance in the remainder of the 2022-23 season may intensify the interest of PSG’s sporting advisor, Luis Campos, in acquiring his former player.
Bernardo Silva Joins Messi, Lewandowski in Elite Champions League Club
