Fans slammed Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, claiming that he wanted to ‘kill’ superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo in a 1-0 loss to Spain at the FIFA World Cup (July 6).
In what was an intense and cagey affair, both sides created several attacking chances but failed to capitalize on them through 90 minutes. Just one minute into added time, however, substitutes Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino linked up as the former set the latter up for La Roja’s winner.
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Silva, who came onto the pitch as an 83rd-minute substitute for Vitinha, had a disastrous cameo that was potentially the reason for Portugal’s loss. The 31-year-old picked up a yellow card in the 89th minute and followed it up with another foul just minutes later that led to Spain’s goal.
Silva also missed a golden chance as his header went over the bar in the final moments of the game. After the full-time whistle, fans were infuriated with the midfielder and took to X to vent their frustrations.
One fan claimed:
“Bernardo Silva wants to kill Ronaldo.”
Another asserted:
“Immediately (after) they brought in Bernardo Silva, we knew he was going to make Portugal lose the match. Within 10 minutes, he got a booking and committed a foul that led to the Spain goal.”
A supporter remarked:
“Bernardo Silva foul lead to a goal I actually despise him.”
Upon the expiration of his contract with Manchester City last month, Silva joined Real Madrid on a free transfer. Referencing the move, one fan wrote:
“Let it be known Real Madrid player Bernardo Silva sold the game.”
One fan blamed head coach Roberto Martinez for bringing Silva on, writing:
“Roberto Martinez figured this couldn’t get any worse, so why not bring on Bernardo Silva.”
A fan simply claimed:
“Bernardo Silva is a serious serious bum.”
After overcoming Ronaldo’s Portugal, Spain will face the winners of the Round of 16 clash between the USA and Belgium in the quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s FIFA World Cup journey ends in tears as Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in Round of 16
Superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey at the FIFA World Cup came to an end after Portugal suffered a 1-0 loss to Spain in the Round of 16 (July 6).
Prior to the game, the 41-year-old superstar had confirmed that the 2026 edition would be his last-ever World Cup. After the heart-breaking loss to La Roja via an added-time winner, he couldn’t hold his emotion back and broke down in tears.
Overall, Ronaldo participated in six FIFA World Cups, bagging 11 goals in 27 appearances in the competition. He is the only player to score a goal in six different editions of the tournament, a feat that will likely be very hard to match in the near future.
His best-ever FIFA World Cup result with Portugal was a fourth-place finish in the 2006 edition. After their exit from the 2026 edition, the Selecao das Quinas have a Ronaldo-sized hole to fill for the 2030 World Cup and beyond.
Edited by Aaryan Nagraj
