Squad number: 20
Total appearances: 51
Premier League appearances: 36
Total Premier League passes: 1706
Premier League tackles: 52
Premier League goals: 7
Premier League assists: 7
Total goals: 13
Total assists: 14
Season’s highlight
Take your pick.
So influential was Bernardo in our title charge, numerous performances could be called out as his most impressive.
But Bernardo possibly saved his best for the most important game of the season.
His Man of the Match display against Liverpool saw the Portuguese midfielder rise to the occasion and above a stellar supporting cast in the title showdown.
Quite simply, he was everywhere.
Knitting the guile and creativity which make him such a potent attacking threat with a tireless defensive display, Bernardo was outstanding.
His statistics provided further evidence of that. He ran 13.7km, more than any other player in the Premier League had done in a single game, and he made the most interceptions on the night.
All this from attacking midfielder whose primary aim is to unpick stubborn defences.
He did that, too, teeing Sergio Aguero up for the game’s opener.
Bernardo, quite rightly, received much of the post-match praise for a performance which cemented his place as one of Europe’s very best.
Overview
“Bernardo is doing an incredible season, second half he played like a holding midfielder. It’s not just today, not just the goal, the whole season was a masterclass, a masterpiece every single game.”
The words of Pep Guardiola after April’s Manchester derby victory.
Two weeks later, before our final game against Brighton, he labelled the diminutive playmaker the league’s best performer.
It spoke volumes of Bernardo’s impact on the 2018/19 campaign.
Boundless energy, a physicality that belies his stature, mesmerising dribbles, defence-splitting passes and important goals.
Bernardo provided them all this season and was at the forefront as the Fourmidables swept the board in England.
He started as he intended to go on, smashing home on the opening day against Arsenal and can count the aforementioned Liverpool performance and a Manchester derby goal amongst a trove of first-rate performances.
He dazzled in multiple positions, too.
Tormenting full-backs on the left and right flanks or probing from a more central position, the 24-year-old was a threat from all over the pitch in a season in which he performed to the highest quality throughout.
