Haaland teases Bernardo Silva after his presentation.

Bernardo Silva received a cheeky message from his former Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland following his official presentation as a new Real Madrid player. The Norwegian striker could not resist reacting to the unusual video published by the Spanish giants to welcome the Portuguese midfielder.

Real Madrid officially welcomed Bernardo Silva as their latest signing, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the career of the experienced Portugal international. As part of the announcement, the Spanish club released several pieces of content across its social media platforms, including a rather unexpected video created with artificial intelligence.

The AI-generated clip featured a series of animals, including sheep, fish, ants and horses, apparently reacting to Bernardo Silva’s arrival in Madrid. Real Madrid accompanied the video with the caption: “They already knew Bernardo Silva was on his way…”

The unusual concept quickly attracted attention online, but one reaction in particular stood out.

Haaland: “Did you agree to this?”

Erling Haaland decided to tease his former teammate directly in the comments section. The Manchester City striker wrote: “Did you agree to this?”, making sure to tag Bernardo Silva in his message.

It was a typical piece of friendly banter between two players who know each other extremely well after spending several seasons together at Manchester City.

Bernardo and Haaland developed a strong relationship both on and off the pitch during their time at the Etihad Stadium. The numbers underline just how often they shared the field.

The Portuguese midfielder played 174 matches alongside Haaland, making him the second-most frequent teammate of the Norwegian striker during his career. Only Manuel Akanji has played more matches alongside Haaland, with 184 appearances together.

That familiarity perhaps explains why the Norwegian felt comfortable publicly joking about Real Madrid’s unusual communication strategy.

Real Madrid continues experimenting with AI

This is not the first time Real Madrid has used artificial intelligence to introduce one of its summer signings.

The Spanish club previously employed a similar concept when presenting Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries.

In that video, supporters sitting in the stands were shown repeatedly turning their heads from one side to the other before Dumfries was finally revealed.

The accompanying message explained the joke: “This isn’t tennis. It’s Dumfries going up and down his flank.”

Ellos ya sabían que @BernardoCSilva estaba en camino… #ADNRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/tVGO6VIIrU

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) August 19, 2026

Real Madrid therefore appears determined to experiment with new forms of digital communication and to incorporate artificial intelligence into its social media strategy.

The objective is seemingly to create original content capable of generating reactions, shares and discussions around new signings.

However, the approach is proving somewhat divisive. While some supporters appreciate the creativity and humour, others have been surprised by the unconventional style of the videos.

Haaland, at least, clearly saw the funny side.

His short comment immediately became one of the most talked-about reactions to Bernardo Silva’s presentation and showed that, despite now representing different clubs, the friendship and playful relationship between the two former Manchester City teammates remains intact.