Bruno Fernandes has openly shared his emotional journey of realizing a cherished childhood dream when he joined Manchester United. His eyes welled up with tears of happiness. After completing a high-profile transfer to Old Trafford in January, the Portuguese international swiftly established himself as a vital part of the team and became a beloved figure among the fans. His impressive statistics currently boast 13 goals and 10 assists in just 25 appearances.

Fernandes has often spoken about his unwavering loyalty to the club, which he attributes in large part to his idol and current international teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, revered as one of United’s greatest players of all time. Fernandes fondly remembers a particular childhood Christmas when his love for United was already evident, as he revealed in a detailed account of his journey to success in The Players’ Tribune.

“One Christmas, my brother and I traveled to Switzerland to visit our dad,” he reminisced. His father was living there at the time for work. In the era before the internet, obtaining football kits from around the world wasn’t as simple. “Premier League gear wasn’t readily available in Portugal, and when it was, it came at a steep price. So, one day, our father allowed us to choose two jerseys while we were in a Nike store.

“You know, it was a significant decision. Inspired by Messi, my brother went for the yellow Barcelona jersey. And as for me, even back then, I proudly chose the Manchester United kit.” While many athletes often use the cliché “it’s a childhood dream come true” when joining a new team, it appears that Fernandes genuinely fits that description.

The 26-year-old has now revealed the array of emotions he experienced upon realizing that the deal was undoubtedly going to happen after teachers had advised him to focus on his education because they believed a career in football was an unattainable goal. He recalled, “Naturally, my mind wandered back to that day in Switzerland, picking out the jerseys with my brother, when I received word from my agency that it was indeed going to happen.

“But there were so many stages along the way that no one could comprehend; there were so many challenging times that only my family could have endured alongside me. “The first thing I did after I was certain the deal would go through was to inform my wife and daughter of the news, and I couldn’t help it… I just broke down in tears.