Felix de Silva

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Silva made his senior debut for Portugal in 2015 after previously being capped by the nation's youth teams at under-19 and under-21 levels. He was chosen in Portugal's squads for three FIFA World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2026), two UEFA European Championships (2020 and 2024), and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025, being named as the Player of the Tournament on home soil in the former. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Silva's football journey started in Lisbon, where his early passion for the game was nurtured. A product of S.L. Benfica's youth system, he played for its ranks, and in 2013 they won the 2012–13 Portuguese Juniors Championship.

In Their Own Story

On 19 October 2013, Silva made his debut for Benfica at the age of 19, in a 2013–14 Taça de Portugal third round 1–0 away victory against Campeonato Nacional de Seniores club C.D. Cinfães, coming out of the bench in the 80th minute. His good performance for Benfica B in the 2013–14 Segunda Liga earned him the league's Breakthrough Player of the Year award. On 7 August 2014, Silva joined Monaco on a one-year loan deal. On 14 December, he scored the only goal of a home win against Marseille. On 20 January 2015, Benfica announced that Silva's economic and sports rights had been sold to Monaco for €15.75 million. In the 2016–17 Champions League group stage away match against CSKA Moscow on 18 October 2016, Silva scored Monaco's equaliser in the 87th minute to ensure that the match finished in 1–1 draw. On 15 January 2017, he scored Monaco's last two goals in a 4–1 away win over Marseille to help Monaco move to the top of the Ligue 1 table for the first time since Week 5. On 26 May 2017, Manchester City confirmed the signing of Silva on a five-year contract. On 13 February 2018, Silva scored his first Champions League goal for City in a 4–0 away victory against Basel in the first leg of the round of 16 stage. On 5 March, Silva scored the solitary winning goal against Chelsea at home – a key win which put them only three wins away from winning the Premier League title. By the end of the season, he had played for Manchester City 53 times in all competitions – the most of any City player that season. In the 2018–19 season, Silva made 51 appearances, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists in all competitions. On 24 April 2019, Silva scored the opening goal for City against Manchester United in the Manchester Derby, and the 2–0 win at Old Trafford put his team on top of the league. He was voted into the PFA Team of the Year alongside four other City players and won the Manchester City Player of the Season award. In the 2019–20 season, Silva scored a hat-trick in an 8–0 thrashing of Watford in the Premier League on 21 September. In November, Silva was banned for one match and fined £50,000 for a tweet directed at teammate Benjamin Mendy; the FA said that Silva did not intend the post to be insulting or in any way racist. On 6 November 2021, in the Manchester derby, Silva scored City's second goal in a 2–0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. On 24 November, Silva became the first player in the Champions League to register a 100% passing rate, being named man of the match, as he provided an assist for Gabriel Jesus, in City's 2–1 home win against Paris Saint-Germain. On 15 February 2022, Silva scored a brace and provided an assist in a 5–0 away win over Sporting CP in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie. On 17 May 2023, Silva scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg, which secured his club's qualification to the second Champions League final in their history. On 10 June, he provided a crucial assist to Rodri, who scored the match-winning sole goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, securing Manchester City's win for their first ever Champions League trophy and completing a continental treble.

Reader's Guide

Silva's career is marked by specific achievements and milestones. In 2017–18, he helped City become the only Premier League team to attain 100 points in a single league season. In 2018–19, Silva had a significant role in City becoming the first men's team in England to win a domestic treble, being named Manchester City's Player of the Year in 2019 and being part of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. In 2020–21, he helped Manchester City reach their first UEFA Champions League final, and was an integral part of the side who sealed their first ever continental treble in 2022–23, their most successful season to date. He finished the 2016–17 season with Monaco with 8 goals and 9 assists in the league and 11 goals and 12 assists in 58 matches across all competitions. In the start of the 2021–22 season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed that Silva was one of three players that wanted to leave the club in the summer transfer window. After staying at the club, Silva began displaying impressive performances, being named man of the match against Chelsea, with Guardiola describing Silva as 'one of the best players in the world'. Silva was awarded Manchester City's Player of the Month by the club's supporters for two consecutive months in September and October 2021, and again for November 2021, becoming the first player to win the award in three consecutive months. He ended the 2021–22 season with 13 goals and 7 assists in all competitions.

Did You Know?

• Silva was born on 10 August 1994 in Lisbon, Portugal.
• He made his senior debut for Portugal in 2015 after being capped at under-19 and under-21 levels.
• Silva won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and was named Player of the Tournament on home soil.
• He scored a hat-trick in an 8–0 Premier League win over Watford on 21 September 2019.
• Silva became the first player in Champions League history to register a 100% passing rate in a match on 24 November 2021.