Barcelona rejected him and he found himself in the shadows: will Catalonia gloat over Bernardo Silva before the Clasico?
Barça's camp reminds the Portuguese star of his choice
The Catalan newspaper "Sport" has seized on the irony surrounding Portugal's Bernardo Silva. He chose Real Madrid over Barcelona after coming close to wearing the Catalan shirt last summer, only to walk into his first Clasico in white facing a scenario he never saw coming: out of the starting line-up and fighting for his place in midfield.
Known for its closeness to Barcelona, the paper picked apart the sudden collapse in the Portuguese midfielder's standing. He snubbed the Catalans after a call from Jose Mourinho, yet a few months on he finds himself living a reality that bears no resemblance to the expectations that greeted his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Bernardo ended a nine-season spell with Manchester City before joining Real Madrid on a free transfer. His experience, technical quality and ability to orchestrate play all pointed to a leading role in Mourinho's project. The Portuguese coach's calculations went another way.
"When Real Madrid called me, I did not hesitate," Bernardo said at his unveiling. That choice slammed the door on a move to Barcelona and set him against the Catalan club in their rivals' shirt. His standing in the side then fell away fast.
From a prominent signing to a player outside the main plans
According to the "Sport" report, Mourinho leaned on Bernardo in the starting line-up at first. Then the return of Aurelien Tchouameni and the emergence of Arda Guler in midfield complicated matters, and the Portugal international lost his place, left with scraps of minutes across a handful of matches.
His slide went as far as a complete absence against Villarreal and Elche. For all the experience he banked over his years at Manchester City, holding down a regular spot in this Real Madrid side has proved beyond him.
The numbers lay the decline bare. Bernardo started the first two rounds, then started just two more of the eleven games he was available for, parked on the substitutes' bench on seven occasions.
That drop in game time followed him to the Portugal national team during the latest international break. He managed only eight minutes across four matches, the report says.
A goal that does not erase the question marks before the Clasico
The slump did not cost him his place against Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday. Handed a start, Bernardo took it, scoring his first goal in a Real Madrid shirt in the 4-1 win. It is the kind of performance that could lift him heading into the Barcelona clash.
One goal, though, does not settle the questions over his role in Mourinho's plans. In La Liga especially, he has delivered well below what his experience and standing promised when the deal was done.
Sunday's match shapes up as a big test. Bernardo needs to prove his choice of Real was a step towards a bigger role, not the start of a spell spent watching the season's biggest fixtures from the sidelines.
