Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne can emulate Cristiano Ronaldo, says Bernardo Silva: 'They're an inspiration and it's a pleasure to play with them'

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Bernardo Silva has heaped praise on team-mate Kevin de Bruyne, likening him to four-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

De Bruyne has taken his game up a notch this season and fired City to the top of the Premier League with his expert range of passing and deadly right foot.

Ronaldo's talents, on the other hand, have been lauded for well over a decade and Silva, who plays with the Real Madrid talisman for Portugal, sees stark similarities between the pair.

Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne can be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo, says Bernardo Silva

The Belgium international has fired City to the top of the Premier League this season

Silva, who joined from Monaco for £43million this summer, made his international debut for Portugal in 2015 and has witnessed the genius of Ronaldo up close and personal.

And the 23-year-old hopes De Bruyne can make the same impact at City that Ronaldo has both with Portugal and in the Spanish capital. 

'They are both amazing players and make a difference for the team,' Silva told The Sun. 'They are an inspiration. Cristiano has this quality of scoring goals in every game, this regularity to score and open up games.

Silva has played with Ronaldo since 2015 for the Portugal national side and sees similarities

'Kevin also, with his passes, his assists and the way he always puts the ball in the right position. They are different players in different positions and have different qualities, but both are amazing and it's a pleasure to play with both of them.

'The greatest players are the ones who can change games, not just the type of game against Stoke, but also the close ones like at Chelsea. It was 0-0 and he made the difference, scoring the important goal to win the game.'

City host Burnley on Saturday and Silva will hope that the Belgium international can architect yet another victory to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League.

De Bruyne has the ability to make it count when it matters like Ronaldo, Silva said