Bernardo Silva said his proudest accomplishment at Manchester City was forging a close bond with the supporters and providing them with entertainment, ahead of playing his final game for the club this weekend.

Sunday's meeting with Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium will be Silva's City swansong as he prepares to depart as a free agent, after nine hugely successful years at the club.

Having arrived from Monaco in 2017, Silva won 19 trophies with City, including six Premier League titles and the club's first-ever Champions League crown in 2023.

He played a part in all but one of City's 20 trophy successes under Pep Guardiola, missing the 2023 UEFA Super Cup due to injury.

Silva will leave City with the second-most Premier League appearances for the club. He has currently made 303 with one game to go, but is six short of David Silva in first and 18 clear of Kevin De Bruyne in third. 

Asked about his status as a fan favourite, Silva told City's media channels: "I think that's the most important thing in football.

"In the end, this is about entertainment and the main thing that football players should do is make the fans, the people that go to the stadium, feel well represented, feel that a part of them is inside the pitch.

"And when you have that connection, when you feel it, when the fans feel that winning or losing, the players left it all on the pitch...

"When you create that bond between players and fans, you're a step closer to winning.

"They see the way that we play. We're an attacking side, we play with our hearts on the pitch, and we always leave it all there.

"So even last season, when we were going through a very difficult period, the connection was always there, and we never felt that they were leaving us, they always stayed with us.

"So, I would say that connection is the most important thing for a football club to be successful."

Silva has scored 45 goals and provided 50 assists in the Premier League, while no Portuguese player has made more appearances in the competition overall.