Bernardo Silva slams 'completely crazy' football calendar
Silva is set to play his sixth match of the season when Portugal face Scotland on Sunday
Bernardo Silva has criticised the scheduling for top-level players while on international duty with Portugal.
Silva is set to play his sixth match of the season when Portugal face Scotland on Sunday, though the schedule is only going to become more demanding with European competition approaching.
In this year's Champions League, teams will play eight matches instead of six in the league phase, and a play-off round before the last-16 ties has also been introduced.
At international level, teams have been competing in the Nations League with three international breaks scheduled before Christmas.
Silva, speaking to Record, opened up on the impact the heavy schedule has had on him as he explained the struggles some top players are facing.
"The schedule is completely crazy," he began. "We've just received the news that we only have one day off for the English League Cup game.
"We'll probably play every three days for months. It's been absolutely absurd'. 'In the Champions League, if you don't qualify for the round of 16 you still have to play two more games.
"It's true that the squads are bigger, but I'm not going to say that it's easy. It hasn't been easy. I spend very little time with my family and friends. The amount of games we're subjected to is absolutely absurd."
City will also take part in the new-look Club World Cup this summer, meaning their campaign could finish as late as July 13.
In total, if they were to reach the final game of every competition, Pep Guardiola's side could play 68 matches this campaign, with players also playing internationally.
A number of high-profile names have spoken out about the schedule before, including Jurgen Klopp and Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Maheta Molango.
Silva's club team-mate, Kevin De Bruyne, has also been criticial of the schedule while on international duty with Belgium.
"The problem is that UEFA and FIFA are making extra matches," he said this week.
De Bruyne's Belgium will take on Israel and France during the current international break.
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