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Bernardo Silva: "I'd Love It If John Stones Was Portuguese"

Bernardo Silva has said that he would "love it" if Manchester City teammate John Stones was Portuguese. Silva is a key player for Portugal's national team.

Robert Summerscales

Bernardo Silva: "I'd Love It If John Stones Was Portuguese"
Bernardo Silva: "I'd Love It If John Stones Was Portuguese" /

Bernardo Silva has said that he would "love it" if Manchester City teammate John Stones was Portuguese.

Silva is a key player for Portugal's national team, having earned 80 senior caps, while Stones has represented England 66 times.

Portugal's current team is full of attacking stars, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Rafael Leao.

But Portugal's defensive talent pool is not as deep, highlighted by the fact that a 39-year-old Pepe played four times at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Silva recently gave an interview to ESPN, during which he was asked: "Which English player do you wish was Portuguese?"

He replied with a smile and said: "Oh my god, I'd love it if John Stones was Portuguese. I love him as a player. I'm a big fan of John Stones. Yeah, John."

Silva's love for Stones is not a recent revelation.

It hilariously emerged in 2021 that Silva and his partner Ines Tomaz had named their pet French Bulldog after Stones.

Silva explained at the time: "We really wanted to have a dog, and he was named after my friend, John Stones, because we're very close and I always said to him that one day if I had a dog, I would call him John.

"It's actually a great name. We love it and Ines agrees with it. I think it suits him; he's a beautiful boy and is very intelligent."

Manchester City teammates Bernardo Silva (left) and John Stones pictured together on the bench during a game in May 2023
Bernardo Silva (left) and John Stones pictured chatting on the Manchester City bench last month :: IMAGO/Action Plus/David Blunsden
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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.