During the FIFA Days in November 2025, when Cristiano Ronaldo could not participate, the Portuguese national team handed over the captain's armband to Bruno Fernandes. Not only that, the responsibility for taking free kicks was also assigned to the Man United midfielder.
In the last training session before the match between Portugal and Armenia, Bruno stayed to practice extra free kick skills. However, he did not practice alone even though this was a task transferred from CR7. Bruno called his junior Joao Neves to practice with him.
Bruno told Neves that the midfielder should add a free kick to his skill set. Bruno challenged his junior, if he successfully takes a free kick, Neves will take it in the official match the next day.
Finally, everyone knows that in the match against Armenia, the PSG star converted a beautiful free kick into a goal, completing a hat-trick in the 9-1 victory to bring the "European Selecao" to the 2026 World Cup.
Teammates immediately recalled the time when Bruno taught Neves to take free kicks on the training ground. Many people think it was just the senior's concession to the juniors, but if looking further, it is seeing the ability of the players and encouraging them to train, this is exactly what a coach needs.
Not just speculative assessments, Bruno Fernandes wants to become a coach in the future. Currently, he is studying with former "Red Devils" Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic on UEFA's "B level". Portugal coach Roberto Martinez also predicts that Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva may become strategists in the future.
That is in the national team environment, but at the club, Bruno has also guided his juniors many times to make them better, typically Benjamin Sesko.
Earlier last month, in Man United's 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, Bruno twice in the first half instructed Sesko about off-ball movements.
The first time, he told Sesko to move forward to the guard at the near post to receive the cross, the other time was about a run Bruno felt Sesko should take a run past the defense. Then, right in the 2nd half, Bruno had a precise cross for Sesko to head into Palace's net, sealing the victory for Man United.
When he was on the field, Bruno always had very close instructions to his teammates like that. When he was substituted off and sat in the technical area, there were also many times when the Portuguese star and his coach signaled and reminded the players on the field about how to play.
Many times, Bruno has shown irritability and raised his voice at teammates on the field. Many opinions believe that doing so will create distance with young players. However, on the contrary, Bruno's attitude and respect for teammates are always shown absolutely at Carrington.
At the end of each training session, young players are often given the opportunity to practice shooting with Travis Binnion, one of Michael Carrick's coaching staff members. They always feel responsible for impressing the first team coaching staff and Bruno is always there. Even when unable to participate, he still wants to help and observe his juniors.
That's why Bruno is always loved, if there is any harsh reaction, it's all for the common good.
James Overy, a promising young talent of Man United, once received advice from Bruno right on the field. This 18-year-old player shared with Football 360 Australia last month about the captain spending an hour training with him on the field.
Except for holidays or injuries, Bruno always goes to the field to watch his teammates train. He considers it the task of the captain, but not only that, Bruno also always wants to give advice and help everyone.
At Carrington, Bruno often stopped to chat with young players in the hallway and ask about their progress. He also contacted the players when they were on loan, inquired about the situation and made sure they still felt involved in what was happening at Man United.
After UEFA's "B license", the next step will be "A license", with a total of 180 hours of study, of which about 40 hours is practice. Soon, fans can witness Bruno become an assistant to a coach on the field and if there is enough chance, the day he officially becomes a captain is not too far away.
