The Champions League final was initially scheduled for Istanbul but UEFA have decided to host the rest of the campaign in Portugal due to the coronavirus pandemic and Silva is motivated by the opportunity of hoisting Europe’s most coveted trophy in his homeland.
Manchester City won the first leg of their last-16 tie against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu before football was suspended to check the spread of Covid-19.
The former Benfica man admits it is an extra motivation to win the trophy in Lisbon, a place where he grew up.
“Personally, it’s an extra motivation,” the 25-year-old told reporters.
“It is a special competition, and it’s going to be a unique event played in my home city. For me to fight for the title in the place I was born and grew up would mean a lot.”
“It would be so, so special, even more because I missed the Euros four years ago when Portugal won the trophy and I was hoping to play in this summer’s Euro 2020 before the pandemic.”
The English champions were punished by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations in February, handing them a two-year suspension from all Uefa competitions and a £25m fine.
The Premier League outfit have since appealed their punishment at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and are currently waiting for the outcome.
Silva has insisted that the potential ban from Europe will not affect their current campaign as they are determined to win the trophy.
“Of course, what happens with UEFA is an important matter,” he added.
“No one knows what is going to happen, so we must only think about what we can control now.”
“What we can control is to play the competition in the best possible way. We must put all of our energy into trying to win the Champions League.
“I think all of the players are with the club and support what they are saying. We will try to do our best this year and not worry about anything else.”
