Bernardo Silva: Leading Man City is 'one of the biggest honours' of my career

For the first time during his tenure at the Etihad, manager Pep Guardiola took the decision to appoint the captain himself - citing dissatisfaction with aspects of the team's leadership structure last season. The result: Silva, now entering his ninth year at the club, was chosen to take on the armband.

"It's probably one of the biggest honours of my career," the Portuguese international said. "We've experienced so many amazing moments together as a team, and also faced some disappointments. I want to use all of that to help guide the younger players coming through."

Silva succeeds Kyle Walker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan. While the Italian side opted not to make the move permanent, Guardiola excluded Walker from his Club World Cup squad and has now clearly moved in a new direction with the leadership group.

But for Silva, captaincy is less about hierarchy and more about collective responsibility.

"Leadership in a team doesn't come down to just one person," he said. "It's not about me or whoever wore the armband last. It's about each of us being a leader in our own way and helping the guy next to us."

Alongside Silva, Guardiola has named Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Erling Haaland as part of the team's leadership core, with the potential for one more player to be added before the new Premier League campaign begins in August.

"I'll be relying on them - on Ruben, Rodri, Erling, and all the guys - to support me," Silva added. "It's a collective effort. We have big ambitions again this season, and we'll need everyone pulling in the same direction if we want to keep winning."