Man City star Bernardo Silva rejects Cristiano Ronaldo comparisons as he hopes to avoid Juventus showdown

Bernardo Silva may have filled the void left by Kevin de Bruyne's injury-ravaged season – but he insists he is a long way from doing so where Cristiano Ronaldo is concerned.

Earlier this month Pep Guardiola suggested the Manchester City playmaker had now established himself as Portugal’s biggest star.

But Bernardo is adamant there is no comparison with his five-time Ballon d’Or-winning countryman, whose hat-trick against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night sent shockwaves around Europe.

Real Madrid may have relinquished their hold on the Champions League following their exit to Ajax last week, but Ronaldo still has one hand on European football’s greatest prize.

Now with Juventus following his move from the Bernabeu last summer, he is aiming to win the trophy for a fourth year in succession and the sixth time in his career.

And his solo act as Juve overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Atletico was a statement of intent from the 34-year-old – and why Bernardo is eager to distance himself from comparisons, even when they are coming from Guardiola.

“I think people interpreted things a little different to what he meant,” said the 24-year-old. whose new six-year contract was confirmed on Wednesday. “Cristiano, what he has done in over the last 15 years in football, is probably one of the best players ever in the history of football. So there is no comparison to him.”

In Pictures | Man City vs Schalke | 12/03/2019

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As for the prospect of a showdown with his compatriot in the quarter-finals – Bernardo is refreshingly frank.

“I wouldn’t like it very much, to be honest,” he said. “I know him, I know what he’s capable of and once again he proved it.

“When you are playing in a competition like the Champions League you have to know that you can get drawn against these kind of teams, these kind of players.

“It is a good thing. It means you are playing the best competitions, the best games and we will see who we are playing against. Of course to play against Cristiano and (Lionel) Messi it is always complicated.”

Portugal's main men: Pep Guardiola appeared to suggest that Bernardo Silva had eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo
Getty Images

It is unlikely Juventus or Barca would relish the prospect of taking on a rampant City either.

Their 7-0 win against Schalke on Tuesday was an ominous warning to the rest of Europe that the Premier League champions are ready to make the step up.

Bernardo believes City have learned from the mistakes of last year when they were stunned by Liverpool in the last eight after dominating domestically.

“When you make bad games, when you make mistakes you have to learn from them,” he said. “That game, especially away, was a difficult game for us.

In Pictures | Juventus vs Atletico Madrid | 12/03/2019

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“We tried to learn from that and we will try in the future not to make the same mistakes.

“I think it’s still early. We’re in the quarter-finals and we have to go stage by stage.

“Of course we have big ambition to do as well as possible in this competition because we know we have a good team.”

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