Pep Guardiola Transformed Bernardo Silva's View Of Football Ahead Of Manchester City Exit

Bernardo Silva reflected on a trophy‑laden spell at Manchester City after lifting the FA Cup with Pep Guardiola, describing how the manager reshaped personal views on football as Silva prepares to leave the club at the end of the current campaign.

Manchester City edged Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley, with Antoine Semenyo deciding the FA Cup final through a clever flick. That victory secured City a domestic cup double, after earlier success in the EFL Cup, and delivered Silva a 20th winners’ medal since arriving nine years ago.

The Wembley win placed City among an elite group, as they became the sixth club to capture both the FA Cup and EFL Cup in the same season. It was also the first FA Cup triumph for Guardiola’s side since 2023, despite reaching every

final in the competition across the last four seasons.

Silva’s personal record in the competition is equally striking. The playmaker has now appeared in five FA Cup finals, a figure matched among non-British or Irish players only by Patrick Vieira and Marcos Alonso, and surpassed solely by Olivier Giroud, who has contested six showpiece matches.

Across all FA Cup games for Manchester City, Silva has featured 36 times and finished on the winning side in 32 of those matches. That 89% success rate is the highest for any Premier League player to have made at least 20 appearances in the competition since the 1992-93 season.

Guardiola’s own numbers in the tournament underline that dominance. The manager has overseen 54 FA Cup fixtures with Manchester City and won 46, giving an 85% win ratio. No other manager with 10 or more games in the tournament’s history matches that percentage.

Silva underlined the importance of Guardiola’s guidance across a long spell working together. "He changed the way I see football, Silvatold BBC Sport. 80% of my career was with him as my manager. All the things I hoped to achieve were with him. The relationship we have got is very strong with the frustrations and the achievements. "

Attention around Manchester City also centres on Guardiola’s future, with ongoing speculation over whether the manager will extend his stay. Asked about that topic, Silva avoided any prediction. "I care a lot about Man City. That's his decision. It is not for me to comment on that. I wish all the best. I enjoy being with him, having shared all these moments together. "

Silva then looked ahead to the final weeks of the Premier League season, as City chase a domestic treble. Opta’s supercomputer currently gives Guardiola’s team an 18.6% probability of overtaking Arsenal and finishing as Premier League champions, leaving those ambitions still mathematically alive but far from certain.

Silva described the emotional weight of adding another trophy during a farewell campaign and stressed the significance of the league run‑in. "Very special. I am really happy. Everything about my journey here at Man City was fantastic, Silva said. Hopefully, we can still have a small dream that we can fight for the Premier League. It is just special for me, being my last season to give them another trophy. Hopefully, not the last one. Since I arrived, it has been 20 [trophies], so it is not bad. That was a fantastic goal. In a final, there are no favourites. The beginning of the second half, they started really strong. They were putting us under constant pressure, and it wasn't easy. "

The final itself was tight throughout. Manchester City attempted nine shots and Chelsea seven, with the combined total of 16 efforts the lowest for any FA Cup final at Wembley since the national stadium reopened in 2007. Semenyo’s finish therefore proved decisive on a day of limited clear chances.

Figure	Competition	Matches	Wins	Win Ratio
Bernardo Silva	FA Cup (player)	36	32	89%
Pep Guardiola	FA Cup (manager)	54	46	85%

The relationship between Guardiola, Silva and Manchester City is closing one chapter with the playmaker’s departure, yet the statistics, trophies and shared experiences in the FA Cup and Premier League ensure this spell will remain a central reference point when assessing the club’s modern era.

This man pic.twitter.com/7Re5yeb98MManchester City (@ManCity) May 16, 2026