Football

Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes vows no let up in trophy hunt as he rubbishes talk of tiredness

Over the last few years, the midfielder has become one of the world's best players. Planet Sport takes an in-depth look at the Portuguese sensation.

Bruno Fernandes currently plays for Manchester United. He joined the Red Devils from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020 for a deal worth around $92million.

At Sporting Lisbon he won three domestic trophies and became a cult hero during his two-and-a-half year stay.
Fernandes is already a fans' favourite at Manchester United; they christened him 'the Milkman' after he was spotted sipping a pint of milk after being substituted against Brighton in June 2020.
Despite only playing half a season in the 2019/20 campaign, he was named the club's Player of the Year. He has also won multiple Premier League Player of the Month awards.
On the international stage, Fernandes has a Nations League winner's medal with Portugal, thanks to victory over the Netherlands in the final of the inaugural competition in 2019.
He is now a regular part of the senior side which will be looking to retain the European Championship in 2021.

Career at Manchester United

Following months of rumours, Bruno Fernandes signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with Manchester United on January 29, 2020.

The Premier League club secured a deal with Sporting Lisbon worth an initial $64million, potentially rising by $27million after add-ons.

He immediately made an impact in the United squad, helping his new side in a 14-game unbeaten league run, from his debut until the end of the season. He scored eight goals and assisted seven in that time.

Despite only playing from February onwards in 2019/20, Fernandes won the club's Player of the Year award.
In June 2020, he became the first Premier League player to win the division's Player of the Month and Goal of the Month award within the same period.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer highlights the quality of matchwinner Bruno Fernandes

Away from the Premier League, Fernandes has scored important goals in the Europa League, including the extra-time winner in the quarter-final against Copenhagen.
That goal came from the penalty spot, something which United have become accustomed to seeing.
With his unique technique of skipping on his approach to the ball, Fernandes has been prolific from 12 yards during his spell at Old Trafford. Which has led to some criticism and the unwanted nickname "Penandes".

The Portuguese midfielder was even more effective going forward in the 2020/21 season, but there were reports in the media that he had fallen out with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and lost faith in the Manchester United manager.

He rebuffed those claims, saying: "I believe it is a way to destabilise the group. What was said is in no way true."

Something which many United supporters hope to see more of in the future is Bruno playing alongside Paul Pogba in midfield.

The two have shown glimpses that they can work well together and Fernandes has previously told Sky Sports that "Together we can do great things."

Sporting Lisbon years

After spending most of the early stages of his career in Italy with the likes of Udinese and Sampdoria, Fernandes moved back to Portugal in 2017.

He joined Sporting Lisbon for a reported fee of $12million, but the Portuguese side clearly recognised his potential as they added a $123million buyout clause to the deal.

In his two-and-a-half seasons at Sporting, he scored 63 goals and assisted a further 52 in all competitions.
Those impressive returns led to him being named Primeira Liga Player of the Year in consecutive campaigns. Fernandes also helped his side achieve two League Cups and a Taca de Portugal trophy.
Home Kit

Bruno Fernandes, Sporting Lisbon, 2012

Fernandes was a hugely popular figure at Sporting, but he did actually leave the club after his first season.

He joined several team-mates in terminating their contracts following a training ground attack by supporters, but the midfielder made a U-turn and signed a new deal at Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Before joining Manchester United in January 2020, Fernandes helped Sporting secure a place in the knockout stages of the Europa League thanks to two goals and two assists in a 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven.

International career with Portugal

Apart from the 2016 Rio Olympics, Fernandes hadn't made his senior competitive bow until the opening game of the 2018 World Cup.
He played twice in that tournament before Portugal were knocked out by Uruguay in the Round of 16. Success came in 2019, though, as Portugal were crowned winners of the inaugural Nations League competition.
Fernandes started in the victories over Switzerland and the Netherlands in the finals.
Away Kit

Bruno Fernandes, Portugal, 2020

Fernandes plays alongside five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo for his national side and Bruno is following a similar path to the soccer great.

Both made their name at Sporting Lisbon before going on to succeed with Manchester United.

Speaking to Manchester United's official website, Fernandes said: "Cristiano plays with me in the national team and he knows me, and for me he's a good person. I want to follow his steps.

Personal life

Bruno Fernandes is married to his childhood girlfriend Ana Pinho. The pair met at school as teenagers and married in late 2015.
They have two children together - their daughter Matilde was born in January 2017 and son Goncalo arrived in September 2020.
Fernandes' brother Ricardo worked for the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also has a younger sister.
His father, Jose, left Portugal for Switzerland when Bruno was younger, but he refused to join his dad in order to keep playing soccer.
His mother Virginia Borges stayed in the country with him. That decision soon paid off as Fernandes was offered a move to Italian side Novara at the age of 17. Bruno now speaks fluent Italian.

Net worth

Fernandes signed a five-and-a-half year contract at Manchester United in January 2020.

According to TalkSPORT, he earns a weekly wage of $137,000. The transfer was for an initial fee of around $66million, rising to $96million with add-ons.

His previous club Sporting Lisbon signed the midfielder for around $10million and added a buyout clause of $120million to his deal.

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