Toni Silva, a former Liverpool academy player, has accused the club of favouring English players during his time at Anfield, claiming he was treated unfairly compared to the likes of Raheem Sterling. The Guinea-Bissau winger joined Liverpool in 2009 after a brief spell with Chelsea's reserves and signed his first professional contract two years later.
However, he never made a senior appearance for the Reds, spending three years in the club's youth system. Silva also had a short loan spell at Northampton Town before leaving Liverpool on a free transfer to join Barnsley in 2012.
Silva's claims of unfair treatment
Reflecting on his time in England, the winger suggested his experience at Anfield fell short of his expectations. "I trained for three or four months with the first team and played with the reserves," Silva told Portuguese newspaper A Bola. "I even played friendlies for the first team, but they didn't give me opportunities."
Silva claimed Liverpool officials told Sterling to learn from him to improve his finishing, but the 33-year-old believes he was 'wronged' by the club and denied opportunities to break into the first team.
Comparison with Raheem Sterling
"Liverpool looked more at young players with English passports, and I felt wronged," he added. "I was one of the best players in the academy, I was always among the top scorers, and I saw they were mainly looking at the English players. Liverpool wanted me to sign for another three years, but I didn't want to renew because I thought I would continue in the B team. I was much better than Sterling."
Silva concluded: "He even gave an interview saying that when he arrived at Liverpool, the directors told him he had a lot to learn from me, especially in terms of finishing."
Departure and later career
Ultimately, Silva left Anfield without making a senior appearance for Liverpool. A club statement at the time read: "Liverpool can today confirm Toni Silva has completed a transfer to Barnsley, subject to confirmation from the relevant footballing bodies. Everyone at LFC would like to wish Toni all the very best for the future."
Silva went on to represent 15 clubs after leaving Liverpool's academy in 2012 and currently plies his trade in the Maltese Premier League.
