Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes (born 8 September 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Manchester United, which he captains, and the Portugal national team.

He is known for his passing ability, vision, creativity, and penalty technique.

On 27 August 2012, he joined Novara in Italy.

Fernandes initially struggled in his new life in Italy, after suffering from homesickness and also had problems learning Italian.

After his girlfriend moved to Italy, Fernandes quickly learned the language and began settling in the country, being nicknamed the "Maradona of Novara" and the "Mini Rui Costa".

After only a few weeks with the youth sides, Fernandes was promoted to the first team in Serie B, and went on to appear in slightly more than half of the league games during the 2012–13 season, helping his team to fifth place and the promotion play-offs.

Fernandes' first appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage was on 12 September, where he put the visitors 3–0 ahead in the 43rd minute of an eventual 3–2 win at Olympiacos.

He finished his first season with 16 goals across all competitions, second only to Bas Dost and provided 20 assists, being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year and Primeira Liga Player of the Year.

Born in Maia, Porto, Fernandes started his career at Italian Serie B side Novara but soon made a move to Serie A side Udinese in 2013, followed by Sampdoria three years later.

In summer 2013, Serie A clubs Inter Milan and Juventus wanted to sign him, but instead, Fernandes decided to sign for Udinese in a co-ownership deal, who promised him first-team opportunities.

He made his debut in Serie A on 3 November, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 0–3 home loss against Inter Milan.

Fernandes scored his first league goal on 7 December 2013, in a 3–3 draw at Napoli.

He scored again in the second match between the sides in a 1–1 draw.

He represented Portugal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

On 16 August 2016, Fernandes moved to Sampdoria on loan with an obligation to be signed permanently.

He made his league debut twelve days later, playing six minutes in a 2–1 home win over Atalanta.

Fernandes scored his first goal for his new team on 26 September 2016, in a 1–2 away loss to Cagliari.

He scored 5 goals in 33 Serie A appearances during the campaign, helping them to finish in tenth position.

After five years in Italy, he signed with Sporting CP in 2017.

He made his senior international debut in 2017, being chosen in Portugal's squads for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, UEFA Euro 2020 and 2022 FIFA World Cup, winning the 2019 competition on home soil, while being named in the Team of the Tournament.

Fernandes was born in Maia, Metropolitan Area of Porto.

Growing up, he supported Boavista and Manchester United.

During his childhood, Fernandes used to play football on the streets with his older brother Ricardo, who was also a professional football player.

His father, who had emigrated to Switzerland, wanted Fernandes to move with him, but he refused, due to the standard of Swiss football at the time.

Fernandes began his youth career at local club Infesta.

Growing up, Fernandes was offered a youth contract at Porto's academy, but he went to local rivals Boavista, who offered him transportation to training, with his parents being unable to take him to Porto on daily basis.

Fernandes played most of his youth football with Boavista, starting his career as a centre-back, before being converted to an attacking midfielder at the age of 15, following a loan to Pasteleira.

On 27 June 2017, after returning from the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, Fernandes joined Sporting CP on a five years deal, for a reported fee of €8.5 million plus bonuses.

On 6 August 2017, Fernandes made his debut for the club in a 2–0 home victory against Desportivo das Aves.

He scored four goals in his first five Primeira Liga games, including a brace in a 5–0 away win against Vitória de Guimarães.

He won back-to-back Taças da Liga in 2018 and 2019, as well as the Taça de Portugal, leading to him being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year and Primeira Liga Player of the Year in both seasons.

In 2018–19, he scored a record of 33 goals in all competitions, making him the highest-scoring Portuguese midfielder and the highest-scoring midfielder in Europe in a single season.

On 15 May 2018, Fernandes and several of his teammates, including coaches, were injured following an attack by around 50 Sporting supporters at the club's training ground after the team finished third in the league and missed out on Champions League qualification.

Despite the events, the team agreed to play in the final of the Taça de Portugal scheduled for the following weekend, eventually losing to Desportivo das Aves.

Fernandes was named the Primeira Liga Player of the Year on 6 July.

Four days later he signed a new five-year contract with a €100 million release clause, having turned back on his original decision to leave the Estádio José Alvalade following the departure of club president Bruno de Carvalho, and being given an improved salary in the process.

Fernandes scored his 23rd competitive goal of the 2018–19 campaign during a 3–1 home win against Portimonense on 3 March 2019, through a late penalty, surpassing António Oliveira's club record for goals by a midfielder in a season, set in 1981–82.

On 5 May, he scored a hat-trick in an 8–1 away rout of Belenenses SAD, in the process becoming the highest-scoring Portuguese midfielder in a single season of all time, with 31 goals to his name.

In January 2020, Fernandes signed with Manchester United for an initial €55 million (£47 million), becoming at the time, the second-highest fee for a Portuguese player leaving the domestic league.

Fernandes is a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at under-19, under-20, under-21 and under-23 levels.