The Portuguese midfield marvel was handed the captain’s armband by manager Pep Guardiola earlier this summer and has already led the side with distinction across the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Bernardo was at his inspirational best in Thursday’s emphatic 5-2 win against Juventus in our Group G finale, a win that secured top spot for City.
Our reward is a last 16 clash against Al Hilal in Orlando, a game to be played in the early hours of Tuesday morning, July 1.
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For the Portuguese international the opportunity to lead City at the prestigious 32-team tournament in the United States and into the new season is something to cherish.
But he said that he was also counting on the help of every other member of the squad to play their collective part in helping the Club strive to be successful.
“[Being named captain] It’s probably one of the biggest honours of my career,” Bernardo declared.
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“I’m going to start my ninth season at the club. And we went through a lot of fantastic moments and some disappointments as well.
“All that experience, I will try to pass it to the younger guys, but the leadership in the team, it’s not about one guy.
“It’s not about me and it’s not about the last captain or who was the captain two or three or four years ago
“It’s about each one of ourselves being our own leader and helping the guy next to us in the dressing room.
“So, in the same way that we helped a lot of the other guys, I’m counting on Ruben [Dias], Rodri, Erling [Haaland] and all the guys to help me.
“Because I will need that help to help the team achieve a lot of things and hopefully win titles.”
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Both the result and manner of the clash with Juventus were hugely impressive coming on the back of comfortable opening group wins against Wydad AC and Al Ain.
Though stressing it was just one performance, Bernardo said there were numerous encouraging aspects to both City’s display and mindset that carried echoes of the successful recent past.
“We’ve always been potential winners in all competitions that we play,” the Portuguese midfielder added.
“Obviously it’s just one game, but we’re happy that the performance was the way it was because it shows that we’re improving.
“We’re coming back to the levels and to the standards that we got people used to at this club and that’s good.
“That’s a good sign for the next season.
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“Not only for this competition, but we want to build to the whole season, to the whole year, because what happened last year was quite disappointing for all of us.
“We want to change; we want to be better and today was a great performance and it shows that we can do it again.”
How to follow the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
DAZN will broadcast every minute and every moment from the event, with all 63 matches, live-streamed, free to view on DAZN globally*, and in multiple languages.
If you are already a DAZN subscriber or Freemium member, then the competition is part of your current membership.
To sign up for a free DAZN account now you only need an email address to register, with no hidden costs or fees.
You can then watch all the action on the DAZN App via smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, streaming devices, game consoles and web browsers.
Join now to start watching for free on DAZN.
Every City match will be covered in full across mancity.com and our official app, with our usual offering of a Matchday Centre and Matchday Live followed by a match report, written and video reaction and highlights from the US.
*DAZN is not currently available in the following territories: Belarus, Cuba, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria
