As a youngster coming through the ranks at Benfica, Bernardo Silva had two nicknames. One was rather more generous than the other, but both captured something about him and they still do now.
The first was "O Messizinho do Seixal" (Seixal being the neighbourhood were Benfica's academy is based) -- Messizinho meaning "Little Messi" because of similarities between the two players in style.
Indeed, from the moment he first turned up for a trial, Bernardo was a sensation, capable of producing feats of subtlety and misdirection on the pitch that would make a magician blush.