Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes (born 8 September 1994 in Maia, Porto) is a Portuguese professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for  club Manchester United and for the Portugal national team.

He has previously played in Italy for Novara, Udinese, and Sampdoria, as well as in Portugal with Sporting CP. He was named Primeira Liga Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. In January 2020, Manchester United signed him for an initial fee of €55 million (£47 million).

Fernandes made his senior debut for Portugal in November 2017. He had previously played for Portugal's under-19s, under-20s and under-21s. He also played for Portugal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Club career

Italy

Novara
Fernandes was born in Maia, Metropolitan Area of Porto. He played most of his youth football with local club Boavista FC. On 27 August 2012, he went to play for Novara Calcio in Italy.

After only a few weeks with the youth side, Fernandes started to play to the first team in Serie B. He played in just over half of the league games during the 2012–13 season. He helped his team to fifth place and the promotion play-offs.

Udinese
In summer 2013, Fernandes signed for Udinese Calcio in a co-ownership deal. He made his debut in Serie A on 3 November. He came on as a second-half substitute. Udinese lost 0–3 at home against Inter Milan.

Fernandes scored his first league goal on 7 December 2013. This was in a 3–3 draw at S.S.C. Napoli. He scored again in the second match between the sides (a 1–1 draw).

Sampdoria
On 16 August 2016, Fernandes moved to U.C. Sampdoria on loan. He also had to sign permanently. He made his league debut twelve days later. He played six minutes in a 2–1 home win against Atalanta BC.

Fernandes scored his first goal for his new team on 26 September 2016. This was in a 1–2 away loss to Cagliari Calcio. He scored 5 goals in 33 Serie A appearances during the campaign. He helped Udinese finish in thirteenth position.

Sporting CP
On 27 June 2017, after the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Fernandes joined Sporting CP for five years. This was for a reported fee of €8.5 million plus bonuses. He had a buyout clause of €100 million. He scored four goals in his first five Primeira Liga games. This included two goals in a 5–0 away win against Vitória de Guimarães.

Fernandes' first appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage was on 12 September 2017. He scored the team's third goal in the 43rd minute. The time won 3–2 win against Olympiacos FC. He finished his first season with 16 goals across all competitions. This was second only to Bas Dost.

On 15 May 2018, Fernandes and several of his teammates and coaches were injured following an attack by around 50 Sporting supporters at the club's training ground. This was after the team finished third in the league and did not get to the Champions League qualification stage. Despite this, the team still played in the final of the Taça de Portugal the weekend after. Sporting lost against C.D. Aves.

Fernandes was named the Primeira Liga Player of the Year on 6 July 2018. Four days later he signed a new five-year contract with a €100 million release clause. 

Fernandes scored his 23rd competitive goal of the 2018–19 campaign. This was during a 3–1 home win against Portimonense S.C. on 3 March 2019, through a late penalty. He beat António Oliveira's club record for goals by a midfielder in a season. This was set in 1981–82. On 5 May, he scored a hat-trick in an 8–1 away win against Belenenses SAD. He became the highest-scoring Portuguese midfielder in a single season ever, with 31 goals to his name. He scored his 33rd and final goal of the season on 25 May 2019. This was during Sporting's win against FC Porto in the Taça de Portugal final. He was named Primeira Liga Player of the Year for the second year, in the 2018–19 season.

He scored seven goals in his first 10 appearances of the 2019–20 season. This included scoring in six matches in a row. This made him the third Sporting player in the 21st century to score in six or more matches in a row, after Mário Jardel and Bas Dost. On 28 November 2019, he scored twice and assisted the other two goals in a 4–0 win against PSV Eindhoven. This made sure Sporting qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League.

Manchester United 
On 29 January 2020, English club Manchester United agreed with Sporting to buy Fernandes. This was for a fee of up to €80 million (£67.6 million). Fernandes also needed to pass a medical and agree personal terms. The transfer was officially done the day after. The initial fee is around €55 million (£47 million), and up to €25 million (£21 million) in add-ons. Sporting will also get 10% of the profits if United ever sell Fernandes. Fernandes signed a five-and-a-half-year contract.

He made his debut on 1 February. He played the full 90 minutes of a 0-0 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers. In Manchester United's 2–0 away win over Chelsea on 17 February, he made an assist for the second goal. This was a cross for a header from Harry Maguire. Fernandes came on as a late substitute for Manchester United against Club Brugge in a 1–1 draw. This was his European debut for the club. He scored his first goal for Manchester United against Watford on 23 February. This was a penalty in a 3–0 victory at Old Trafford. In this match, he also made an assist for the third goal scored by Mason Greenwood. His first European goal for the club was in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against Club Brugge at Old Trafford. Fernandes scored a penalty. This helped Manchester United to win 5–0. On 16 March 2020, Fernandes was voted as the Premier League Player of the Month for February. On 30 June 2020, Fernandes scored his first brace (two goals in one match) for the club in a 3–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. In June 2020, he won awards for the club and in the Premier League. This included winning the Premier League Player of the Month and Goal of the Month. He became the first player to win both awards at the same time in the Premier League. He also became the first Manchester United player to win the Premier League Player of the Month award two months in a row since Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2006–07 season. Bruno Fernandes has scored 8 goals and assisted 7 times in 14 games in his Premier League first season with Manchester United.

International career

Fernandes has played for Portugal at five levels. Before he played in the senior team (the main Portugal team), he was captain of the under-21 team.

Fernandes played for Portugal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He started every game, as Portuagl reached the quarter-finals.

When he played in Italy, he did not play for Portugal. He was called up for the national team on 28 August 2017. He took the place of Pizzi because he was injured. This was for World Cup qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Hungary.

Fernandes won his first full cap on 10 November 2017. He came on in place of Manuel Fernandes for the last 34 minutes of the 3–0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia. Fernando Santos chose him in his team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He scored his first national team goal on 7 June. This was a header in the last warm-up match before the tournament, a 3–0 win against Algeria at the Estádio da Luz.

Fernandes' first World Cup game was on 15 June 2018. He played 66 minutes in a 3–3 group stage draw against Spain.

Style of play 
Fernandes is an attacking midfielder. He is a direct, energetic playmaker. He can take on defenders and also set the rhythm of play. Because he is direct, Fernandes sometimes takes risks. He tries difficult passes to create chances of scoring goals.He often presses the opposition quickly after losing possession. In addition, he is a a good free-kick taker. He likes to shoot from outside the penalty area. His movement off the ball is also important, as he looks to find space to create chances. Fernandes can also play in a deeper central midfield role, or as a second striker.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours
Sporting CP
Taça de Portugal: 2018–19
Taça da Liga: 2017–18, 2018–19

Portugal
UEFA Nations League: 2018–19

Individual
SJPF Young Player of the Month: August 2017, September 2017, October/November 2017, February 2018, April 2018
Primeira Liga Player of the Month: August 2017, September 2017, April 2018, December 2018, February 2019, March 2019, April 2019
Primeira Liga Player of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017–18
Sporting CP Footballer of the Year: 2018, 2019
CNID Footballer of the Year: 2019
UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament: 2019
PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month: February 2020, June/July 2020
Premier League Player of the Month: February 2020, June 2020
Premier League Goal of the Month: June 2020

References

Other websites

Profile at the Manchester United F.C. website
National team data 

1994 births
Living people
Portuguese footballers
Association football midfielders
Manchester United F.C. players
Premier League players
Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
2018 FIFA World Cup players