Since joining Manchester United in January 2020, Bruno Fernandez has firmly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world.
The Portuguese played in Italy early in his career – Novara, Udine and Sampdoria – and despite his occasional display of magic, Juventus and other top Serie A clubs did not seize the opportunity to sign him.
As a result, the attacking midfielder returned to his native Lisbon and then went to play for the Red Devils with a high salary.
Back in 2003, another Portuguese star also travelled from Lisbon to Old Trafford, so it was natural for Bruno to make this his football icon.
In an interview with the media, the 26-year-old talked about his admiration for C. Ronaldo as a child.
"Growing up, everyone knew that Ronaldo was my favorite player. I think there's a little bit of everything. When Cristiano Ronaldo started his first steps with the national team, which was the European Championships in our country in 2004, I was only 9 years old. That year is remembered by everyone because we lost the final in Portugal, I saw him cry after the final, he was a young man who started to make a name for himself, from that moment on, I started to pay attention to him.
"It's not because he's in the same position as me, that's not the reason, it's the way he works every day, the mindset he has, he gives 100 per cent in every high-level game, it's a motivating force for me, like you always have to do better. He scored goals in every game, but after each game he was still improving and getting better.
"My mentality comes from wanting to know what kind of player I'm going to be. Do you want to be the kind of player who has a good season and then goes up and down, floats and floats, or you want to be the kind of player who is always at the top? Well, you're going to have bad games, everybody has – C. Ronaldo has bad games too, 100% – but the problem is, to come back after a bad game.
"The mentality when I came back was, 'Okay, I didn't do well in the last game, I need to do well in this game'. For me, the mindset is to be better every day than before. I've improved a little bit, and based on that, that's my biggest motivation. ”
The Red Devils will be playing alongside their idols and Portugal will be fighting to defend their titles in the upcoming Euro 2020.