Can Bernardo Silva rediscover his magic at home in Lisbon?

Much like Manchester City as a whole this season, Bernardo Silva has shown flashes of his brilliant best, but has struggled to find consistency. Now, courtesy of a pandemic, City’s little magician has the chance to put his stamp on the Champions League in his hometown of Lisbon, Portugal.

Bernardo Silva was expected to kick on this season, much like Manchester City, and continue his ascension to becoming one of world football’s best players. While he certainly hit the highs, such as his first career hat-trick in an 8-0 City win over Watford, the consistency just has not been there for the Portuguese winger.

I still firmly believe that an absolute star is in there, and the football world agrees, as Bernardo remains linked with a move to Barcelona on a regular basis. However, despite all of his struggles and diminished goal output, Bernardo and City have an incredible opportunity this season: to win the club’s first-ever Champions League title.

While adding the final piece of major silverware to Pep Guardiola’s City trophy cabinet would be monumental for every player in the squad, it is perhaps even more special for Bernardo, who has returned to his hometown of Lisbon, the staging ground for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final of the competition.

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Although City will begin the competition with a match against Lyon at rival Sporting Lisbon’s Estádio José Alvalade, Bernardo will get the opportunity to feature at boyhood club Benfica’s Estádio da Luz. A product of Benfica’s academy, he made just one senior league appearance off the bench before moving to Monaco, where he developed into one of world football’s brightest talents.

Nevertheless, he has continuously expressed love for both Lisbon and Benfica, stating that in the distant future, he still dreams of returning to the club of his youth. For the moment, however, Manchester is his home, and the opportunity before him is truly unique.

"“It’s amazing to be in my city, returning back for such an important competition,” Bernardo said. “It’s great to be able to play in a competition like the Champions League—it’s a special competition and we want to give everything to get as far as possible.”"

Although the season has not gone to plan for City or Silva, this is the moment where it can all be turned around. Three big-time performances from Bernardo and three City victories seal the biggest moment in club history, despite constant turmoil surrounding a poor league campaign and a failed Champions League ban from UEFA. It all begins in just a few days time.