Bernardo spent nine seasons at City between 2017 and 2026, featuring in more games under Pep Guardiola than any other player throughout a period of historic success.
As a versatile midfielder who could be an effective threat on the wing or provide a solid foundation further back, Bernardo often came out near the top when it came to running stats too.
The Portuguese international was never undervalued by his team-mates, or the world’s outstanding coach in Guardiola, but Dias feels the outside perception of him may not have been as laudatory as it could have been.
Speaking during filming for a Matchday Live feature which will be shown ahead of kick-off against K-League All Stars later today, Dias made the case for his compatriot.
“I think it’s fair to say Bernardo,” he answered when asked who’s the most underrated player he’s ever lined up alongside.
“Even though there’s a good realisation of everything he’s done now and he spent nine years at the club and has just left, I feel like, especially last season, there’s a lot of people saying ‘oh, he’s actually done all this’. Before that it was just ‘oh, Bernardo.
“I feel like people didn’t know how deeply it ran the influence he had on our success so I feel like it’s fair to say that in some ways, for a long time, he was underrated.”
Watch the feature during our Matchday Live coverage, starting at 11:00 (UK) today, and the extended version on mancity.com and our official app later this week.
Watch our 2026 tour games on CITY+!
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After Saturday’s meeting with Inter, we’ll now head to Seoul to play a K League All-Stars side on Wednesday 5 August and then Atletico Madrid on Sunday 9 August. Both games begin at 12:00 (UK).
Each game will be available to watch on mancity.com and our official app for current CITY+ subscribers globally*.
Available for £34.99 annually or £9.99 per month, or unlock CITY+ as part of Premium Membership (£65/year), which brings together the best of City, in one membership.
*K-League All Stars v City: Globally available except South Korea
City v Atletico Madrid: Globally available except South Korea, Spain
