Kevin De Bruyne can be Manchester City’s Cristiano Ronaldo as Bernardo Silva hails the qualities of Pep Guardiola’s star man
Belgian has been in outstanding form for Pep Guardiola's side and has been backed to be City's talisman for a new era
BERNARDO SILVA has hailed Kevin De Bruyne, saying he can become Manchester City’s own ‘Special Ron’.
The Etihad new boy has a close up view of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo when the pair play together for Portugal.
And although the £43million man has only been at City since the summer, he can see similar game-changing qualities in KdB.
De Bruyne has been the standout player in the Premier League this season.
And City will be hoping their Belgian star, 26, can produce more magic when they host Burnley today.
Silva has been an international team-mate of Ronaldo, 32, since making his debut for their national team in March 2015.
He said: “They are both amazing players and make a difference for the team. They are an inspiration. Cristiano has this quality of scoring goals in every game, this regularity to score and open up games.
“Kevin also, with his passes, his assists and the way he always puts the ball in the right position. They are different players in different positions and have different qualities, but both are amazing and it’s a pleasure to play with both of them.
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“The greatest players are the ones who can change games, not just the type of game against Stoke, but also the close ones like at Chelsea. It was 0-0 and he made the difference, scoring the important goal to win the game.”
Former Chelsea man De Bruyne is already being talked about as a potential winner of the PFA Player of the Year, even though the season is only two months in.
But he has some way to go until he can boast the kind of CV Ronaldo has. He has won the lot at club level with Manchester United and Real Madrid, as well as that triumph at the European Championships in France.
He has also beaten off great rival Lionel Messi to scoop four Ballon D’Or awards during a glittering career.
Silva has got De Bruyne marked as a future winner of the coveted award if he can keep the hunger that his countryman shows.
The former Monaco man, 23, added: “Even after winning all the trophies he has, Cristiano keeps hungry and has this will to always win more. That’s what most of the big players do, that’s what keeps him on a high level for so many years.
“Hopefully Kevin will win the Ballon D’Or in the future too because it’s just fantastic what he can do. This season he has been doing an amazing job for the team and solves a lot of games for us. I hope he can keep doing the same.”
De Bruyne’s sensational form is one reason why Silva’s City career has yet to take off. Boss Pep Guardiola has been reluctant to leave out the Belgian, while David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane have also been in great form.
Silva — who was one of the stars of Monaco’s Champions League run last season — has hardly had a look in, but insists he is benefiting from being part of it.
And TalkSPORT pundit David Ginola said this week that City fans will soon discover their summer signing is worth waiting for.
Ginola watched him play for Monaco last season and believes he will prove better than his namesake David.
That is almost impossible in the eyes of the Etihad faithful, but Bernardo is looking forward to getting his long-awaited opportunity.
He said: “It’s very exciting to be part of this team, with these players and this coach. I think this season we can do something special.
“Everyone wants to start. Of course I want to play but I am happy here because I have been learning a lot in the last few months. I hope I can learn more and help the team.”
Silva’s Monaco team were the darlings of European football last season, with a team that also included fellow City signing Benjamin Mendy.
But he believes the football City are playing now is better.
He said: “Last season we played good football in Monaco but the performances that the team has been able to do over the last few games — it has been outstanding.”
Silva will be hoping to feature against Burnley today and looks certain to start the Carabao Cup tie against Wolves on Tuesday night.
At least he made his mark by scoring the seventh goal in the rout of Stoke last week, after coming off the bench in the second half.
He said: “To score my first goal for Manchester City I am very happy. To be here and be able to learn from all these fantastic players, it is an amazing opportunity.
“I am very happy to be here and I hope I can help the team as much as I can to achieve their goals.”