SPORTSWORLD.AM
Pep Guardiola has named Bernardo Silva as Manchester City's new captain, a day after the Portuguese midfielder admitted this season could be his last at the club, ESPN reports.
Guardiola usually lets the players and staff vote for the captain, but this time he decided to make the choice himself. Along with Silva, he also named Ruben Diaz, Rodri and Erling Haaland as vice-captains.
This season could be Silva's last at the Etihad as he has hinted that he may not extend his contract, which runs until 2026. The 30-year-old, who joined City from Monaco in 2017, has been linked with a return to his boyhood club Benfica.
"I know what I'm going to do, but now is not the time to talk about it. I'm fully focused on doing well for Manchester City. When the time comes, I'll say everything. I still have one year left on my contract, so it's very possible that I'll leave next season. I had options last year and this year. But now my choice is to stay at City," Bernardo said.
Guardiola explained his decision regarding the captain's armband as follows:
"This season I am the coach and for the first time in my career I decided who will be the captain of the team. I didn't like what happened last season, so this time I made the decision myself. Sometimes you want to be the main one and I decided to choose four captains. After this World Cup, maybe we will add one or two more captains."
This is Erling Haaland's first appointment as City's vice-captain. The forward signed a 10-year contract in January and Guardiola believes he can eventually become the team's captain.
"Erling is very young, but he needs to start understanding what it means to be a captain because, hopefully, he will be here for a long time. Sooner or later he will take this position," Pep added.