Bruno Fernandes, Captain, Leader, Legend
When Bruno Fernandes first stepped out onto that hallowed turf at the Theatre of Dreams on that baltic night during the first day February had to offer us in 2020, few in attendance could have predicted the true impact this man from Maia, Portugal, would go on to have in the years that followed. I sat in the East Stand, watching my breath appear in front of me as my hands stung beneath my match program, drunk from the excitement of seeing this supposedly world-class talent United had gotten their hands on, slapping the claws off Manchester City and Liverpool, who had also been hunting for his signature from Sporting CP in the months prior.
“Came from Sporting like Cristiano,” rang out as he was announced to the ravenous Old Trafford faithful. That Rooney-like “Bruno, Bruno” chant slapped against the Manchester air every time he went over to take a corner that night.
No matter what happens to me in the rest of my life, I’ll always be able to sit my grandkids around the sitting room, turn on highlights of Bruno Fernandes and his time at Manchester United, and tell them with the utmost pride, “I was at his first ever game for the club.”
“He can bring the ball forward. He can score goals.
“He is a perfect captain for our team and we need to help him win titles.”
Ruben Amorim on Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes, United’s Number 8
The superlatives that describe Fernandes simply do not exist. Manchester United is incredibly fortunate to have found a midfielder of Fernandes’ caliber. Without his availability, consistency, and quality in the five years since his signing, one can only imagine the current state of Manchester United Football Club.
An issue one would have with writing an article of praise for Bruno is: How do you describe the indescribable? Many have questioned Bruno’s leadership tendencies since he took the captain’s armband from Harry Maguire in 2023, but different players show leadership in different ways, and suggesting Bruno cannot or does not inspire the rest of his teammates because of his arm movements is bordering on ridiculous, frankly, terribly lazy punditry.
Suggestions recently leveled at Fernandes have been that he pretends to look busy when running for United. Roy Keane’s claims that the Portuguese midfielder’s pressing is effectively a selfish act to look busy rather than actually pressing and being effective for the team look a tad silly beside the glaring statistic that Bruno has the third most ball recoveries in the entire division. More than Ryan Gravenberch for Liverpool, who has been rightly lauded for his fantastic season.
Numbers Like Nobody Else
Fernandes is an attacking midfielder by trade, playing out of position as effectively a number six in Ruben Amorim’s system, and still putting up the second-best goals and assists metrics he’s ever had in a red shirt. In fact, only one player in the league has completed 60+ tackles, created 60+ chances, and accumulated 150+ ball recoveries this season. His name? Bruno Fernandes. All this comes alongside scoring and assisting 37% of United’s goals this season in all competitions; elite does not come close to describing the level he’s currently performing at.
Bruno’s ability to consistently create and score at his current rate while playing in this position is truly remarkable. Imagine placing Mesut Ozil in a pivot role at Arsenal and expecting him to consistently rescue the team from such a precarious position every week. Bruno was near enough a shadow striker when he came into United from Sporting, but he’s done what all great players do to try and ensure success for their football team: evolve.
In fact, although numbers aren’t everything, when you compare Fernandes to the likes of a Mesut Ozil, his numbers trump those of even the great German, who lit up the Bernabeu countless times before his switch over to the Emirates. Ozil contributed to 89 goals in the Premier League during his time in London in 15,529 minutes; Bruno has contributed to 112 in 16,239 minutes. Startling considering the stature Ozil is rightfully held to by both Arsenal fans and even rivals as well as neutrals, but it’s a level people for some reason decide against speaking about Bruno on.
The Ultimate Professional
Every single manager Bruno has worked under at United has praised his work ethic. Amorim most recently declared the club needed more players like Fernandes, selfless players, who, despite their pure, undoubted quality, put the needs of a football team he could easily walk away from in search of glory and success elsewhere, before his own. They’re the type of players fans go to war for. They’re the type of players that put Manchester United at the pinnacle of world football in the past, and if they have any hopes of getting back to that pinnacle anytime soon, Fernandes has to be at the forefront of that regeneration.
With his two assists and a goal against Leicester at the weekend, Bruno joined a short list of current active Premier League players with 50 goals and 50 assists since they joined the division. Bruno has been in the league less than any other player on it. He has amassed 62 goals and 50 assists since he played his first game in the Premier League. He also moved into the top six assisters in Manchester United history at the weekend. Another measure of his greatness, just one off entering the top five behind a man they label a king, Eric Cantona. The question is, when does this greatness get the respect it deserves?
When Will Bruno Get His Respect?
Does Manchester United have to win a top major honor for Bruno to get that undeniable appraisal from his peers and those that have come before him? The Portuguese magnifico is selfless and would genuinely probably rather not have the praise, but he deserves every bit of it and more. The truth is United owe him a Premier League title. United owe him a Champions League title. He deserves giant honors to truly showcase what a generational type of talent he has been and continues to be. He’s the type of player that, had he signed for the club in 2005, you’d build statues for. He’s the type of footballer you’d name your kids after, and unfortunately for my eventual wife, she has two penned in before 2030 named Bruno and Brunoette, and that’s a non-negotiable.
Will Bruno be a victim of the Gerrard effect? Spending his prime years at a football club due to the sheer love of it above anything else when you could be at Real Madrid winning the biggest honors the world has to offer? Would those honors with Madrid feel anything like the level of pure achievement Bruno would get from bringing United back to that promised land? Surely not. Is there a possibility he can do that within the length of his contract left? It’s unlikely. Is anything possible with Bruno Fernandes performing at the peak of his powers? Of course. Do Manchester United need to do everything possible to ensure he leaves this football club regarded as a legend beyond any reasonable doubt? You bet your bottom dollar they do.
Those who have followed Bruno over several years have nothing but positives to describe the magician with. When I mentioned earlier in the piece that the superlatives didn’t exist within my own vocabulary to truly describe the greatness of the 30-year-old, I felt it pertinent to task myself with asking other people if they had the words available to them to try and paint a picture of Bruno Fernandes, either as a player or a man.
Joao Castro, a podcast host from Sporting160 in Portugal, described Bruno in these three words: Leader, Charismatic, Talented.
Joao spoke of how he has been following Bruno since his time at Sampdoria, where he first announced himself to the football world before switching to Udinese and eventually to Sporting. Joao speaks about how Bruno is an example to players in the youth development system, having someone like Fernandes to look up to, striving to be the best player and person he can be on a daily basis; that’s the type of professionalism you can learn from; that’s the type of professionalism that makes you become a better player yourself if you emulate it.
Manchester United has one of the best midfielders in the world currently playing for their club. Manchester United have one of the best attacking midfielders in the entire history of the Premier League bleeding red every single match day, stretching every working sinew of his body to secure a win for a club he has fallen in love with since he made that switch from Portuguese green and white, to the unmistakable red of Manchester. The prayer is that this football club can rise from the ashes before he moves on, or even retires, and gives him the parade his quality and humility so desperately deserve.
So here’s to you, Bruno Fernandes. United loves you more than you could know, oh ho ho.
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