The club captain spent nine years at City and was long expected to leave when his contract expired in the summer.
Advertisement
He issued a statement saying: “When I arrived nine years ago, I was following a little boy’s dream, wanting to succeed in life, wanting to achieve great things. “This city and this club gave me much more than that, much more than I ever expected.
“What we won and achieved together is a legacy that will always be cherished in my heart. The Centurions, the National Quad, the Treble, the Four In A Row and so much more… It wasn’t that bad,” he wrote, followed by a winking emoji.
“In a few months it will be time to say goodbye to the city where we not only earned so much as a football club, but also where I started my marriage and my family. From the bottom of my heart, Inés and Carlota, thank you!”
He then thanked the club’s fans for their “unconditional support,” “something I will never forget.”
Advertisement
“My main goal as a player was to always play with passion so that you could feel proud and well represented on the field. I hope you felt that in every game. I arrived as a Man City player, I leave as one of you, a lifelong Man City fan. Keep supporting this young team and I’m pretty sure it will bring you many new fantastic memories in the future.
“To the club, to Pep, to the staff and to all my teammates over these 9 years, thank you for all the memories and for letting me be part of this journey for so long. The atmosphere we created every day on the training ground made me feel at home and part of a big family. Let’s enjoy these last few weeks together and fight for what this season still has in store for us.”
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders let the news slip earlier this month, saying that “every good story comes to an end” and that the Portugal international is in the final weeks of his stay at the Etihad Stadium.
Lijnders said: “Every good story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last few months (it’s only six weeks) and has a good send-off. He deserves all that attention too.”
Silva, who has attracted interest from Juventus recently, was a target of Barcelona in the past and wanted to move to a warmer climate than Manchester.
Advertisement
The 31-year-old, who joined from Monaco in 2017, is one of the most decorated players in City’s history, winning a treble and 19 trophies, including the Champions League in 2023 and six Premier Leagues.
Named captain for this season, he lifted his first title as captain when they won the Carabao Cup last month.
Silva has made more appearances under Pep Guardiola than anyone, and his 450th appearance for City came in the 4-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday, and he was named City’s player of the season in 2018-19.
Lijnders admitted that City will face difficulties in bringing in a similar player, adding: “You never replace a player with the same type of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees solutions. All these things.
Bernardo Silva (right) has played more games for Pep Guardiola than anyone else (Nick Potts/PA Wire)
“You’re never looking for a replacement for just one type of player. You’re looking for what it takes to grow with the team and someone who can fit into the first 11. And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we’ve already bought, that they can also take that step into the midfield positions.
Advertisement
“If you see our young people in the academy, then they have to take that step and grow. But the most important thing is that the older ones who stay for a long time, stay, stay, stay. That they are always there and around that, you can move.
“But it will be difficult because, like I said, in the game, when he’s not playing, you’ll see how he’s missed, and that’s a game. Imagine a season.”