Three years ago, Bruno Fernandes was unknown, but today? He’s Manchester United’s best player. The 1.79 meters tall Portuguese midfielder has been the best signing United have made since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Having spent a year at Old Trafford, he’s been able to bring back hope to the hearts and smiles to the faces of every supporter of the club; adding an element of finesse and magic into United’s touches on the field.
Also, everyone obviously knows of the skillset Fernandes possesses, his ability to score goals and create chances for his teammates. But only a few have considered his hidden attributes and facts which are quite intriguing to know.
Here are 8 Fact About Bruno Fernandes
- Number 8 Is His Lucky Number
For Fernandes to have inked the number 8 boldly on his right arm, it means eight is the number he holds dearly in his heart.
“It was a number that I love because my father wore it as a player. But it’s also the day of my birthday.
However, the number 18 he’s wearing at United also has a lot of meaning.
“It’s the date of my wife’s birthday and I grew up watching Paul Scholes playing with it, to have the same as him is incredible,” Fernandes said.
- His Idols – (Ronaldinho & Cristiano Ronaldo)
Before becoming a role model himself, Bruno Fernandes was inspired by the greats. Since his childhood, the Portuguese stars loved people who impressed and inspired with their techniques.
Speaking on a Manchester United podcast in 2020, Fernandes said:
“When I grew up, the first player I really liked to watch was Ronaldinho. He had this kind of magic that nobody else had.”
“He went everywhere with a smile on his face. He’d take a tackle and he’d still be smiling. When he gives a nutmeg, he has a smile on his face. If he won, he smiles, even if he lost, he had a smile on his face”
“And when you watched Ronaldinho, you understood what it means to enjoy football.”
Fernandes obviously loves Ronaldinho because of the qualities the Brazilian showcased for many years in Europe. But that’s not all, the Manchester United playmaker was also inspired by another giant, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Like many others, it’s Ronaldo’s mental strength that impressed Fernandes the most.
“It was the way he worked every day, the mentality he had, and the capacity he had to give one hundred percent in every game at a high level.”
“For me, it was like a motivation, like you always have to do better.” He stated on the United Podcast.
Fernandes noted that his dream to play for United was inspired by his National teammate, Ronaldo. He also stated that he wants to live the dream Ronaldo lived at United by winning numerous titles.
- Fernandes Started As A Center Back
Before becoming a midfield maestro being compared to the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, Bruno was a defender. A position which he didn’t choose and would definitely have given him a completely different trajectory.
“I played central defender for the most part when I started playing football and I was really good. I had a coach who said to me ‘if you want to be a top player, you will need to play as a central defender. If you want to be a good player, you will be a midfielder'”
But despite earning praises as a defender, Fernandes really didn’t like the position.
- He Learnt Italian By Himself
The usual practice by football clubs when a new player joins from another country is to get a teacher that will help in teaching the language of a new destination. But this was not the case of Bruno Fernandes.
After being rejected by Boavista FC in 2017, he left Portugal for Italy to sign for Novara. However, he was unable to speak the Italian language which led to various challenges for him. Home sickness basically.
But he worked hard and learned Italian by himself. He would put notes everywhere to familiarize himself with the Language. ‘Tavalo’ on the table, ‘Sedia’ on the chairs and ‘Frigo’ on the refrigerator, and so on.
After a month, his intelligence has helped him a whole lot that he was already speaking Italian.
He developed tremendously in Italy for five years and was rewarded. Fernandes returned to Portugal to sign for Sporting and became a star afterward.
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- Strange Penalty Taking Technique
Bruno Fernandes is undoubtedly a penalty kick specialist; a reputation he holds to a somewhat academic approach in taking them. Like Jorginho, he jumps right before kicking the ball.
This is a technique that confuses goalkeepers. When asked about his secret, he said:
“I don’t have a secret, I train a lot and always pay attention to the goalkeepers’ reaction.”
“I adapt to what I feel on the pitch and then I decide on how to shoot. I don’t have a specific technique, I simply do what’s right at that moment.”
This is why he looks somewhat inconsistent while taking penalties, he would use his style sometimes and he would just play the penalty directly.
However, the Red Devils playmaker always loves to stay one step ahead. “Sometimes, I change everything so the goalkeeper isn’t sure of himself. It’s not to scare him, it’s instead to change the look of the game and even trick him.” He said.
A gamble that works nearly every time; of his first thirty penalties, Fernandes converted twenty-nine of them and only missed one. Invigorating!
- He Cried When He Found Out He Was Going To Manchester United
The excitement that comes when dreams become a reality could bring about mixed feelings – crying and being happy at the same time. Or simply put, Tears of Joy.
Fernandes was overwhelmed with emotions when he discovered he would join United. “When I got the call, I told my wife, brother, sister, my mother and I started to cry with happiness.”
“I’d fought all my life for this. They knew that my biggest dream was to play for Manchester United.’
Yes, he cried. But now it’s the fans of opposing clubs, goalkeepers, and defenders that are crying.
- He Has A Poster Of Stephen Ireland in His Bedroom
Just in case you’re wondering who Stephen Ireland is, he’s a former Manchester City midfielder whose career didn’t turn out as it should have.
Are you wondering again why Fernandes would choose to have a poster of a former player of Manchester United’s local rivals?
Well, he’s a midfielder that Bruno Fernandes loves. “Bruno told me that, as a kid, he had a poster of me. He said that when he played football manager, he always signed me.”
“I was like ‘you had me on a poster? And seriously you signed me on a football manager?'” (Stephen Ireland, The Athletic, 2020).
It appears that both Fernandes and Ireland live in the same neighborhood in Manchester. Crazy!
READ ALSO: Manchester United Players’ Salaries (Wages) 2020-21
- Fernandes Humiliated His Older Brother’s Friends
Like many other kids, Bruno learned to play football on the streets, with its codes and rules where anything can happen. But Fernandes as a kid wasn’t afraid of anything, not even bullies from his older friends.
“I grew up with a brother that is five years older than me, and so I grew up playing with him and his friends.”
‘Most of the time, I wouldn’t play because he didn’t want me to play with his friends. I don’t know if he was too afraid that I was too good for them.”
“I always wanted to play with the older ones and the problem was I didn’t want to play alone, I wanted to be the best out of all of them.”
‘And if I need to do a nutmeg on someone, I would do it, I don’t care.”
Behavior that could’ve cost him, because adults don’t like it when they are embarrassed by a kid, not to talk of getting nutmegged in a football game.
“The older guys are mad when they see a little boy do that, everyone starts shouting and laughing at them saying ‘hey you took a meg from a little boy!’ And then someone could come for you and kick you.”
Today, it’s on English soil that this Portuguese artist is painting his most beautiful works.
