In Euro 2024 qualifying alone, Bruno Fernandes scored four goals and added five assists. These are numbers that will impress even those who recognize his talent for this and much more. Maniche has already entered the territory now covered by the number 8 of the national team and, even if he refused comparisons, he remembered that, if he were an 8 who could play as a 6 and even as a 10, the midfielder of Manchester United “has the intelligence to play.” , which makes him adapt to any plan, opponent or role” and that is why “he is so influential” in the national team.
That is why there is so much income when you play 4x3x3, 3x4x3 or 3x5x2, whether with Danilo and Bernardo Silva (against Luxembourg) or with Palhinha and Vitinha (against Slovakia). In the painful match against the Slovaks, he scored the goal that gave Portugal the victory (1-0), against Luxembourg he contributed with one goal and three assists to the biggest victory ever for the Quinas team (9-0). another memorable display.
“It was an almost perfect match for the national team. Bruno Fernandes stood out again. I hadn’t seen him do what he did without the ball for a long time. He was always useful for the national team, but this time he was a leader, he played a leading role, he accentuated the pieces, had more influence, played with a lot of personality and character,” the former Portuguese international told DN.
The attacking midfielder’s performance was rewarded with the captain’s armband at the end of the match. And yes, according to Maniche, who never agreed with the ‘condition’ of choosing the captain of the national team based on the number of international matches: ‘He has international matches, but he also has personality and character. He is an added value that is legitimized by what he does. does on the field.”
The former Portugal international recalls that it was this strong and personal leadership that led to Bruno Fernandes being appointed captain of a historic club like Manchester United.
Six years of selection
Bruno Fernandes is one of two players to start in the six games of the Martínez era – the other being Rúben Dias, the only total player in minutes. The midfielder, who turned 29 on Friday, tops the list of players with the highest participation in goals (nine of Portugal’s 24 goals) in the Euro 2024 qualifying phase and tops the table in assists (five), joint with Denzel Dumfries, from the Netherlands.
Two of those assists were optimally taken advantage of by Gonçalo Inácio, who at the end of the meeting with the Luxembourgers recognized the talent of his former Sporting teammate: “Bruno Fernandes passes the balls well, I tried to look for space and find the ball .” ended there.”
In June he already shone against Bosnia (3-0 win) with two goals and an assist. In this Euro 2024 qualification, only Cristiano Ronaldo has more goals (five in five matches), but the Portuguese captain does not have any assistance for the sample compared to the five of the player of the Red Devils, in six games. Bernardo Silva and Rúben Neves have three assists each, but while the Manchester City midfielder has three more goals, the Al-Hilal player is yet to score. So there is no doubt about Bruno Fernandes’ influence on the national team.
Since November 2017, when he made his debut with the corners on the chest, the Portuguese midfielder has been synonymous with goals and more. He was called up 71 times and used in 59 games, of which he was a starter in 44 games and as a substitute in 15 games. He was only not used in 12 games and missed three games, one due to suspension and two due to injury, in six years. selection. In short: in 3875 minutes, Portugal’s number 8 has already scored twice and was involved in 32 goals, of which 17 were direct (goals) and 15 were indirect (assis).
One Euro 2024 triumphs away
Portugal are now one win away from qualifying for the next European Championship, which will take place in Germany next year. With a perfect record of six wins in six games (24 goals and no goals conceded), Roberto Martínez achieved the best ever start in a qualifying phase and also went down in history with the biggest win of the 667 games the team played. in 102 years.
Portugal leads Group J with 18 points and can qualify on October 13 against Slovakia, which is in second place and has five points less. Luxembourg is third with minus eight. The battle for second place, which is also worth going into Euro 2024, is far from settled after Iceland defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving both teams with six points, twelve of which are still up for grabs.
Source: DN
