Why Silva will be remembered as a Man City legend

Silva has won six Premier League titles since joining City in 2017 [Getty Images] After nine years and more than 450 appearances, Bernardo Silva will bring his glittering Manchester City career to a close at the end of the season. The 31-year-old, who joined City from AS Monaco for what now looks a modest £43m in 2017, confirmed on Thursday that he will leave the club when his current contract expires this summer. During his time at the Etihad, Silva has won 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club's first Champions League trophy.

He could still add to that tally before his departure at the end of May, with Pep Guardiola's side still chasing both Premier League and FA Cup success. But whatever the final weeks of the campaign may hold, Silva's legacy at City is already secure. He will be remembered alongside modern-day greats like Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Kevin de Bruyne as one of the defining figures of the club's most successful era.

Here, BBC Sport takes a look at why Silva will go down as one of the greatest players to wear the Manchester City shirt. 'I leave as one more of you' - but how do Man City replace departing Silva? Captain Silva to leave Man City at end of season 'There is nobody that can do what he does' When Silva arrived at City in 2017, he joined a side that had won the Premier League only twice, with the most recent success coming three years earlier.

Nine years on, though, Silva - now the second-longest serving player at the club - has helped transform City into a dominant force in the English game and played a central role in his side winning the Premier League title in six of the last eight seasons. His first title success came in his debut campaign as City became the first side in Premier League history to amass 100 points in a 38-game season. In 2019, City's points tally of 98 was enough to pip Liverpool to the title by a single point in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest title races in English football history.