David Silva and Bernardo Silva will carry much of the creative responsibility for their respective nations’ clash in the World Cup.
The Iberian Derby is one of the oldest in football, dating back to 1921.
The Portuguese will hope to end one unwanted statistic this time around, having failed to win any of the previous World Cup matches.
Surprisingly, it’s six years since the teams met and this will be the 36th overall clash.
Previous meetings
With no international meetings, the only time Bernardo and David Silva have met previously was when City took on Monaco in the Champions League.
Of course, the Blues took the honours in a pulsating first leg, beating the Ligue 1 side 5-3 at the Etihad Stadium, but Monaco won the return 3-1 to progress on away goals to the quarter-final.
Caps and goals
Bernardo is at the early stage of his international career and so is way behind David in this department.
David has won 121 caps to date, scoring 35 goals while Bernardo has 23 caps and two goals so far.
This is David’s third World Cup while Bernardo is playing at his first.
Playing style
David keeps things simple, rarely loses the ball and is blessed with incredible vision.
He is the conductor of the orchestra and always at the heart of attacks for his nation and club.
Bernardo is also a playmaker, but with his excellent touch, is able to produce moments of technical magic.
Bernardo is more likely to cut inside and fire a 25-yard howitzer into the top corner of the net, while David – though a regular goal-scorer for Spain – is apt to slip a mesmerising through-ball to a colleague and claim yet another assist.
In short, you’d have both players in your team and, we have!
Importance
Bernardo is a growing influence on the Portugal side and after a season of transition in the Premier League, he ended strongly and left City fans in no doubt that the diminutive attacking midfielder is going to be a huge star in years to come.
David is a City and Spain legend.
One of the most-capped players, he is the fourth all-time top scorer and still has much to do for La Roja. A World Cup and European Championships winner, he is one of the game’s most decorated internationals.
With Spain again tipped as potential winners of the tournament, he will once more be integral in everything Spain do in Russia, while Bernardo’s growing influence could see him prove one of the stars of the World Cup.
