Benfica in 2022
Early career Born in
Viseu, Silva began his youth career with hometown club Viseu United, aged 11, and also had spells at Penalva do Castelo and Repesenses. He quickly stood out, subsequently began having multiple training sessions with
Sporting CP, while
Porto also showed an interest in signing him, but he ended up joining their
rivals and his boyhood club
Benfica's youth academy in 2016. Struggling with
homesickness, Silva returned to his hometown to spend time with his family, but with the help of the club's
psychologist, he managed to overcome his
mental health problems and went back to Benfica a year later, after adjusting to life in
Lisbon.
2021–22: Youth League and development On 28 November 2021, Silva signed his first professional contract with
Benfica B. He made his professional debut with Benfica B in a 2–1
LigaPro loss to
Mafra on 2 April 2022. During that season, Silva played a major role in the
2021–22 UEFA Youth League, where Benfica U19 topped their
group against
Dynamo Kyiv,
Barcelona and
Bayern Munich. In the final phases, he scored the equaliser in a 3–2 win over
Midtjylland, after his side were two goals behind and in the final, he helped his side keep a clean sheet in a 6–0 win over
Red Bull Salzburg to help Benfica win their first Youth League title, and their first title in European football since the
1961–62 European Cup.
2022–23: First-team breakthrough and league title Having appeared for the club's B team, it was expected that Silva would spend the
2022–23 season continuing his development there, but he began training with the first team, after impressing newly arrived coach
Roger Schmidt, which led him to progress in the team's
centre-backs ranks, ahead of
Tomás Araujo and
Jan Vertonghen, who was away on international duty for Belgium. Following the suspension of
Nicolás Otamendi, he was given his first start by the new coach on 27 August, being entrusted in the centre defence, alongside
Morato, and putting a strong performance, in a 3–0 away win over
Boavista in the
Primeira Liga. He subsequently became a starter following an injury crisis at the club, leading Silva to fill the void alongside Otamendi, who was the only fit centre-back available. The following day, Silva made his
UEFA Champions League debut, partnering with Nicolás Otamendi in the centre of defence, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over
Maccabi Haifa. Silva was named the league's Defender of the Month for September, after helping Benfica maintaining their unbeaten run, which included three clean sheets. On 25 October, Silva scored his first goal for the club, opening Benfica's 4–3 home victory over
Juventus in a
2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage match. His form throughout the club's Champions League group stage campaign, saw him help his side qualify to the
round of sixteen, as group winners, following a 6–1 away win over Maccabi Haifa on 2 November. Four days later, Silva scored his first league goals, netting a brace in a 5–1 victory against
Estoril. This saw him being the league's Defender of the Month for the months of October and November. Over the course of the domestic campaign, Silva started and completed almost every minute for Benfica, playing a major part in their campaign, sealing Benfica's first title in four years on the final day of the league campaign, following a 3–0 win over
Santa Clara.
2023–Present: Dip in form and return to starting place In the
2023–24 season, Benfica endured a difficult start of the new campaign, after a 2–0 home loss to
Red Bull Salzburg in a
Champions League group stage match, where Silva was
sent off for the first time in his career for a second bookable offense at the start first half for an handball, after
Roko Šimić's shot touched his hand. His performances recovered later in the season with Silva being named the defender of the month for the months of October and November, but he was sent off for the second time in the Champions League, receiving a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on
Nicolò Barella during a
Inter Milan counter-attack in their 3–3 home draw on 29 November. The booking meant that Silva would miss Benfica's last group stage match away against Red Bull Salzburg, which they eventually won 3–1, qualifying to the
UEFA Europa League knock-out round play-offs. Over the course of the 2023–24 campaign, Silva started and completed almost every minute for Benfica, as they were knocked out in the
UEFA Europa League quarter-finals to
Olympique de Marseille on penalties following a 2–2 draw on aggregate and finished as the league runners-up to
crosstown rivals Sporting CP. The
following season, with the arrival of new manager
Bruno Lage, Silva lost his place in Benfica's starting XI to
Tomás Araújo, primarily due to tactical considerations by his manager, as Araújo's superior passing ability in building play from the back and speed, despite Silva remaining a strong option for his manager. However, towards the end of the season, he regained his place, after impressing in the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup. ==International career==