Borussia Dortmund star Fabio Silva has revealed how he found solace in 'best friend' Felix Nmecha during his struggling period with the club last season.
The Portuguese star ran straight to the bench to celebrate with Nmecha after scoring the opening goal of their 3-0 win over Paderborn in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Nmecha came off the bench after the hour mark and himself got on the scoresheet with a late double that consolidated BVB's grip on the match.
When asked about why Silva ran to Nmecha on the bench to celebrate his goal, he opened up on how the German helped him navigate through some challenging times at the club.
"Because sometimes things aren’t easy in football or in life. Last season and even at the start of this one, there was a lot of noise surrounding me. He always came to me and tried to push me to get better and focus on what I can control. And he always told me that I can make a difference."
Following his transfer from Wolves last year, Silva came up short in fulfilling the expectations that surrounded his move by scoring just three goals in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund.
But in the 2026-27 campaign however, the 24-year-old appears to have hit the throttle, bagging four goals in five games - already one more than his tally last season - coupled with an assist too.
Silva attributes some of this purple patch to Nmecha, who apparently played a big role in finding his best form at the club.
"He’s one of my best friends on the team and has helped me a lot. Not just after this game — even in past games, when things were going well, I always went up to him and said, ‘Thanks for helping me so much.’ He’s one of the people who’s really helped me get to this moment. And if I’m in a situation like this now, it’s partly because of him."
Saturday's game against Paderborn was just the second time since Silva's transfer to BVB last year where both him and Nmecha have found the net in the same game.
The only other game in which both these players had found the net was in their 4-2 win over Copenhagen in a UEFA Champions League clash last year.
Borussia Dortmund return to action this Saturday as VfB Stuttgart host them at the MHPArena in a high-octane Bundesliga clash.
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