It has been just a shade over a year since Bruno Fernandes arrived on the shores of Manchester to be part of the Theatre of Dreams. His admission of having tears of joy when he completed the move to his childhood love for the club spoke volumes of his passion and commitment to play for Manchester United. The acquisition worth 67.6 million pounds from Sporting CP hit the ball running from the word go.
There could not have been a better impact player than Bruno Fernandes. He has galvanized and made an instant impact at Manchester United F.C.
Just like him, there was a player who had caught the eye of Manchester United scouts all the way back in the 2003-04 season when a young Cristiano Ronaldo was signed also from Sporting CP. The young boy created such an impact that it was as emotional a time as it may come when he decided to ply his trade for Real Madrid in 2009.
Sir Alex Ferguson said ‘He came as a boy and left a man’. Manchester United will always be indebted to Ronaldo for the glory, adulation and respect he achieved for the club.
The common feature between these 2 players is that both are such creative and impactful players that it is hard to look past him when the playing 11 is announced.
To summarize, we will let you know 5 reasons why Bruno could be headed the Ronaldo way at Manchester United:
Creativity
Fernandes and Ronaldo are both really creative and organized players who can make those cheeky passes, deft through balls and can open play up from a difficult situation. Their understanding, awareness of being at the right place at the right time is pure art.
Goal Scoring Abilities
Such has been the impact that goal scoring comes very naturally to Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo. They need just a fraction of a second to judge and make up their mind as to how to score and finding the back of the net does not perturb them. Fernandes and Ronaldo are phenomenal at penalties and have the free kick taking ability up their repertoire. These qualities made them fan-favorites during their respective times.
Leadership
Due to their creativity and understanding of space, they make the team play around them. They get the ball rolling and are at the heart of each move during games. This facilitates the leadership qualities in them. Both the players are driven to succeed and motivated to take the team forward at all costs. They have youngsters within the side who look up to them for inspiration.
Personal Milestones
Bruno Fernandes got into the record books when he became the first player to win 4 Player of the month awards in a calendar year whereas Cristiano Ronaldo had won 4 too during his stint at Manchester United. This is another similarity of the Portuguese teammates that their performances bring personal recognition which helps in the rise of the team to achieve greater heights. Bruno has 21 goals and 16 assists in his 37 appearances in the Premier League, a stat which shows how well he has gelled into the scheme of things.
Cristiano Ronaldo was a Premier League Winner for 3 years (2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09) coupled with being the player of the season for 2 years being 2006/07, 2007/08. He also won the Golden Boot for most goals in a single season with 31 goals to his name during the 2007/08 season.
Career Midfielders
Fernandes and Ronaldo started off their careers at Manchester United as Midfielders before becoming top strikers for their respective teams.
Bruno Fernandes having just begun life as a Manchester United player will want to emulate his Portuguese teammate and Idol. The question here is can he? Only time will let us know.
Until then, we can enjoy the brilliance that is Bruno Fernandes.
