Bruno Fernandes' most iconic moments for Manchester United, Portugal, and more
- Albert Pearson
- 19 August 2021
From breaking records at Sporting CP to becoming one of the best players in the world, Bruno Fernandes has provided some iconic moments for both club and country.
A fan favourite at Manchester United and one of the standout players in the Premier League, it is hard to believe that Bruno Fernandes only moved to the Premier League at the end of January 2020.
The attacking midfielder is known for his ability to produce a goal from almost nothing, and inspiring his side to victory - something that has been a crucial factor in United's recent upturn in fortunes.
From collecting accolades in the Primeira Liga to becoming one of the top midfielders in world soccer, Planet Sport takes a look at the career of the Portuguese star.
Lighting up the Primeira Liga
Fernandes signed for Sporting CP in the summer of 2017 having began his senior career with spells at Italian clubs Novara, Udinese and Sampdoria.
Back on home soil, it was this move that would give Fernandes the platform to showcase his talents.
He instantly established himself as a goal threat for Sporting, notching four in his first five Primeira Liga appearances.
Fernandes would finish his first season with 16 goals from midfield, finishing second to Bas Dost in the club's goalscoring charts. It wasn't just his goal tally that had improved, though, but his overall control of the game.
Fernandes finished his first season in Lisbon with the Primeira Liga Player of the Year and Sporting's Footballer of the Year awards, as well as being included in the UEFA Europa League squad of the season.
A taste for silverware
Fernandes was rewarded with the vice-captaincy role and would go on to scale even greater heights the following season.
Sporting won the Taca da Liga for a second successive season, with Fernandes instrumental as they came through penalty shootouts in both the semi-final and the final. On both occasions, Fernandes neatly tucked away his own spot-kick.
This back-to-back win set Sporting up for yet another trophy as they won the Taca de Portugal for the first time since 2015, largely down to the performances of Fernandes.
Fernandes was even more instrumental in this competition, with goals in both semi-final legs against Benfica. He scored yet another penalty in the shootout as Porto were overcome in the final.
Record breaker
The 2018/19 season not only saw Sporting secure back-to-back Tacas da Liga titles, but also saw Fernandes named Primeira Liga Player of the Year for a second successive season.
Fernandes finished as the top goalscorer in the Taca de Portugal with six goals to his name, as well as coming second in the Primeira Liga.
More impressively, though, he finished as Sporting's top goalscorer with an incredible tally of 33 goals in all competitions. It was a new record for the club from midfield, surpassing the previous tally set in 1982 by Antonio Oliveira.
Fernandes also became the highest scoring Portuguese midfielder and the highest scoring midfielder in Europe for a single season.
Not surprisingly, Fernandes was named Sporting's Player of the Year once again and was now being linked with a host of Europe's top clubs.
International exploits
Fernandes' fine domestic form earned him his first full cap for Portugal late in 2017. He was named in the Portugal squad for the FIFA 2018 World Cup, but it wasn't until the following year that he made a name for himself at international level.
Portugal advanced into the finals of the UEFA Nations League tournament in 2019 after finishing first in a group featuring Italy and Poland. They faced Switzerland in the semi-final and, after a resounding 3-1 win, found themselves in the first ever Nations League final against Netherlands.
Portugal emerged 1-0 winners to hand Fernandes, who was named in the team of the tournament, yet another piece of silverware.
Instant impact
Speculation swirled in the summer of 2019 but it wasn't until the January transfer window that Fernandes moved, linking up with Manchester United for a reported fee of £67million.
Given such a large fee, the pressure was on Fernandes to prove his worth.
He recorded his first goal on February 23 but his all-round contribution was the key to winnign over United fans.
Prior to his arrival, United looked as though they would miss out on a Champions League spot. However, with Fernandes in the side, United were revitalised.
The Portuguese midfielder won the Premier League Player of the Month award in his first month and went a long way to ensuring United didn't lose another game that campaign.
Fernandes' goalscoring powers had not been weakened by his move to England either, with him recording an impressive eight goals in 14 league appearances. These included a crucial goal on the last day of the season against fellow Champions League hopefuls Leicester City - earning United third place and a Champions League spot in the process.
Taking his game to a new level
The move to the Red Devils saw Fernandes emerge as one of the most in-form players in the world.
He went on to secure another Premier League Player of the Month award in June and was awarded the June Goal of the Month award - the first player to win both awards concurrently.
Fernandes also picked up the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award at Manchester United, some achievement having only joined the club at the end of January.
The personal accolades didn't stop there. He was included in the EA Sports FIFA Team of the Year, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Kevin De Bruyne in the side.
Fernandes was also voted as the world's fourth best midfielder in 2020 by FIFA FIFPro World 11.
Winning goal against Liverpool
While Fernandes was not short of spectacular goals at Manchester United, he arguably saved his best for one of the biggest occasions in English soccer - an FA Cup clash with fierce rivals Liverpool.
Due to fears of fatigue, Fernandes started on the bench. However, that didn't stop him making his mark.
With the scores level at 2-2, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turned to his midfield star in the 66th minute. It proved to be a very astute decision.
Opening day hat-trick
United had something of a statement transfer window in the summer of 2021, adding Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to their squad.
That campaign started with a home match against Leeds, which the Red Devils won 5-1 largely thanks to a hat-trick from Fernandes.
