Just eight minutes! Bernardo Silva fades into oblivion under Mourinho at Real Madrid
It was supposed to be the move of the summer, pushed through by José Mourinho himself — but barely two months into the season, Bernardo Silva has almost completely disappeared from Real Madrid's plans.
Details: According to Marca, the Portuguese midfielder has played just eight minutes since September 12. His 282 minutes in total this season are the second-fewest among Madrid's six summer signings, and Mourinho now prefers a settled midfield trio of Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Jude Bellingham, leaving his compatriot frozen out of the rotation.
The decline has been steep. Silva started Real Madrid's first two La Liga fixtures, but a suspension carried over from his Champions League days at City limited him against Inter Milan, he did not feature at all against Elche, and in the 2-1 derby defeat to Atlético Madrid he was reduced to a late cameo from the bench. The player once billed as 'Modric 2.0' is now strictly a break-glass emergency option.
The international break offered no escape. Portugal coach Jorge Jesus left him out of the Nations League fixtures against Wales and Denmark entirely, and in both matches against Norway he entered at the 86th minute — four minutes of action in each — with the result already decided. Silva ended the window with the same eight minutes of football that now define his season.
The irony is painful. It was Mourinho's personal insistence that convinced Silva to turn down Atlético and Barcelona and join Madrid on a free transfer, with the promise of a central role in a two-man pivot alongside Tchouaméni. 'Since I was young, we've always watched his teams,' Silva said at his unveiling. 'I'm very happy to begin working with him and learning from him.' At the time, Mourinho called him 'very important' — even while publicly criticising his fitness after a pre-season cameo.
It's worth noting that it is still early to write off a player of Silva's pedigree — his record at Manchester City is far too considerable for a difficult opening month to define his Madrid career — but the gap between the role that motivated the move and the role he is actually playing has never looked wider.
Reminder: Soap opera over! Real Madrid legend officially finds new club in La Liga.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
