Fernandes: “The first thing I did when I signed for United was cry”

England will experience one of their most anticipated matches tomorrow. Anfield will be the scene of a Liverpool-Manchester reminiscent of times past. The Red Devils lThey devise the table with 36 points and three are Klopp's. After many years, both teams will not only meet for the pride of historical rivalry, but the leadership of the Premier will be at stake.

One of the men the spotlight will be on is Bruno fernandes, brand new winner of the award for best player of the month of December with which has entered the history books of the Premier League. The Portuguese is in a great moment, being one of the main causes of the Mancunian leadership, and on Sunday will visit Anfield for the first time as a United player, in what will be his first game against the eternal rival like Red devil. His fans trust him to hit the table and start believing that The throne of England can be yours again and the world of soccer will have its eyes on eighteen to see if he is the type of player who grows up on big dates.

In a weekend that will serve as a great showcase for those who do not follow the English league so much, it is interesting to rescue the text that the player wrote in The Players Tribune and in which you can get to know a more personal part of Bruno Fernandes. “When I learned that the transfer to United was going to take place, the first thing I did was tell my wife and daughter, and I couldn't help it, I started crying. They were tears of emotion, of joy, of memories“.

“In Italy I had moments where I just wanted to quit”

This is how the player himself narrates the moment in which his career finally took that long-awaited step forward. In today's football we are used to young people who are not even 20 years old and are signed by the greats of Europe for exorbitant amounts, Bruno Fernandes's story is different. With 17 years left the Boavista quarry to sign for Novara where he would intersperse games between the spring team and the first team, which was in B series.

“I was only 17 years old in a new country. He did not speak the language and did not know anyone. It was difficult, it was incredibly difficult. There were times when I just wanted to quit“. His strength and mentality helped him to endure and grow in Italy where he would end up playing for Udinese and Sampdoria before returning to his country with Sporting Lisbon.

“If my father had not instilled that mentality in me, I would not have survived Italy”

Bruno thanks that mentality to his father, which was the critical voice he needed in his training to be non-conformist and always strive to improve. “I like criticism, because it helps you improve and understand that you cannot relax. I could surround myself with people who always said yes, but that's not for me. This mentality runs in my family. When I was little my father was never interested in how many goals or assists I had made, but in my mistakes and how could it be more efficient. I remember a match against Porto U-15 in which despite losing, I was playing well. One of his coaches came up and said 'this boy is going to be a footballer ', it was incredible but not for my father who criticized my performance in the Porto goal“.

As a result of this relationship, every time Bruno lost a game he became obsessed with it and locked himself in his room without wanting to eat. “That was the beginning of my mentality, some will find it a bit extreme, but it works for me. I need her to survive. When you are 15 years old it is not enough to have talent or to work hard and be strong, you have to combine everything and 'live football'. If my father had not instilled that mentality in me, I think I would not have been strong enough to survive Italy. He wasn't a father who told me after games 'you've played amazing' because the real world doesn't work like that. “

During his difficult time in Serie A, his family was key to his continuing pursuit of his dream, and for this reason joy flooded them all when he signed for Manchester United. “I thought about the time when my wife was still my girlfriend and I called her from Italy to tell her that I wanted to give up and she answered me 'No, no, no, this is your dream'. I called my brother with whom I also cried. Of course I called my father, the person who has pushed me the most in the fight for my dream, my biggest constructive critic and the person who sacrificed everything to work abroad to bring money to the family. He started crying, he didn't say anything, not a comment, just tears from my father, mother and my little sister“.

Now his father has hit the brakes and wait 24 hours to give you your “feedback” on the match, but “to compensate” Bruno's criticism comes from his own home, specifically from his daughter Matilde, only three years old. “When she was she was very little and my wife and I told her to put away her toys, she covered her ears with her hands to make her not listen to us, I was amused and that's why I started to celebrate the goals covering my ears with my hands. Matilde sees it on television and because of it If I forget to do it or the cameras don't show it, as soon as I get home he says 'Daddy, why haven't you done it?'. Maybe if one day I win the World Cup and I don't forget to cover my ears when scoring, I will have finally earned 48 hours of peace of mind. “

All the effort of Bruno Fernades has taken him to the most important point of his career. He's in incredible shape being the third player in the five major leagues that has generated the most goals, eleven goals and seven assists, and leading a Manchester United that begins to dream after many years of winning the Premier again.

That boy who argued with his older brother, a Barça fan, about who would be better if Messi or Cristiano, who always supported his compatriot And who bought a United jacket for his idol, he is now the man all Red Devils fans trust to conquer Anfield. “I hope that I can inspire the new generations who see us from the squares of their cities. If you think, 'I can never be like Bruno', I can honestly tell you, 'I'm like you, I saw Cristiano, dreaming of being like him, as you see us now. '