Cristiano Ronaldo is an inspiration to Bruno Fernandes, and deservedly so. In May of 2018, Manchester United supporters named CR7 the club’s best player of the Premier League era, via a poll on the club website. Although Ronaldo hasn’t been with the club since 2009, and he’s switched teams not once, but twice since then, he still looms large at Old Trafford, and probably always will.
The Portugese galactico of all galacticos is now entering the twilight of his career, but he was still named the world’s most recognizable sports man by Forbes a couple of years ago.
Fernandes moved over to United, just last month, from Portugese club Sporting CP, so he knows just how big Ronaldo really is in Portugal. It was his stellar turn at United that really first put Ronaldo on the map, and thus provided an inspiration for United’s newest midfielder.
“I’m a Cristiano Ronaldo fan and he’s a player I’ve always followed,” Fernandes said in an interview with Sky Sports News.
“When Cristiano burst on to the scene here in Manchester, he spent a good chunk of his early career here and enjoyed so much success.”
“That’s why it was a dream of mine to play for Manchester United and I’m very pleased to be here because it’s a childhood dream come true.
“I think any player who joins Manchester United wants to win everything; I want to win every competition that Manchester United compete in.
“I’m an ambitious player who wants success and I want to win every game in every competition we’re in.”
Meanwhile United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that Fernandes has the potential to make Manchester United’s attack all that it can be, just like Paul Scholes and Juan Sebastian Veron did during their days at Old Trafford.
“Bruno has come in to be a very important player … now we’ve got the No.10 or attacking midfielder nailed down. Hopefully, he’ll keep fit and keep producing performances,” Solskjaer said.
“He’s similar to Veron and Scholes. We’ve needed that type of player. He knows he’s here to play.”
“One of the good things about him is he takes risks with the ball, like Veron.”
United’s win over Watford yesterday propelled them up to fifth in the table, just three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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