Bruno Fernandes, born in Maia, Portugal in 1994, captains Manchester United and holds the Premier League record of 21 assists in a season. He scored in United’s 4-0 win over Sabah on matchday 1 of the 2026-27 Champions League.
Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes was born on 8 September 1994 in Maia, in the Porto metropolitan area. As a child he supported Boavista and Manchester United and played street football with his older brother Ricardo, who also became a professional. His father emigrated to Switzerland and wanted him to follow, but he refused because of the standard of Swiss football at the time. He was offered a youth contract by Porto, but joined local rivals Boavista because they offered transport to training.
He began as a centre-back and was converted into an attacking midfielder at 15 after a loan to Pasteleira. He moved to Italy in 2012 with Novara in Serie B, then joined Udinese in 2013 and Sampdoria three years later. After five years in Italy he signed for Sporting CP in 2017, where he won the Taça da Liga in 2018 and 2019 and the Taça de Portugal, and was named Primeira Liga Player of the Year in both seasons.
In 2018-19 he scored 33 goals in all competitions, a record for a Portuguese midfielder and the highest tally by a midfielder in Europe in a single season. In January 2020 he signed for Manchester United for an initial €55 million (£47 million), then the second-highest fee for a Portuguese player leaving the domestic league. He has made more than 300 appearances for the club and become its captain.
With United he has won the FA Cup and EFL Cup, reached the Europa League finals in 2021 and 2025 as the competition’s top scorer in both seasons, and played in the 2023 FA Cup final. In 2026 he was awarded the FWA Footballer of the Year, the Premier League Player of the Season and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, and the Premier League Playmaker of the Season for registering 21 assists, which broke the record for assists in a Premier League season and matched the joint record in the top five leagues alongside Thomas Müller and Lionel Messi.
He represented Portugal at under-19, under-20, under-21 and under-23 levels and at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He made his senior debut in 2017 and has won more than 90 caps. He has been named in Portugal’s squads for the World Cups of 2018, 2022 and 2026, and the European Championships of 2020 and 2024, and won the UEFA Nations League in both 2019 and 2025, being named in the Team of the Tournament in 2019.
On matchday 1 this season he was among the scorers when United beat Sabah 4-0, alongside Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Šeško and Lisandro Martínez. On Tuesday they lost 2-0 at Atlético Madrid, with Leny Yoro sent off, and extended their winless run to five games according to Sky Sports. As captain, Fernandes will be at the centre of United’s response.
Image: Bruno Fernandes playing for Portugal in 2026 (file photo). Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
