Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes ended the 2024/25 season by lifting the Nations League trophy with Portugal.
At club level, Bruno Fernandes’ season ended trophyless after Manchester United lost the Europa League final to Tottenham. Four years after losing the final under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Portuguese midfielder once again fell just short in Bilbao.
Fernandes was named United’s Player of the Year for his efforts in 2024/25. He scored 19 goals and assisted 19 in what was a very impressive season from a player perspective.
Despite being linked with Saudi Arabia, Fernandes has decided to stay at United for 2025/26 and he will return to Carrington as a European champion even after falling short with the Red Devils.
Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties after drawing 2-2 in Munich after 120 minutes. Fernandes stepped up to take the third penalty and he calmly converted past Unai Simon.
The 30-year-old played the entire 120 minutes and even captained his nation once former United star Cristiano Ronaldo was taken off as a substitute.
United teammate Diogo Dalot was an unused substitute on the night, but he also picked up a well-deserved Nations League winners’ medal.
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Portuguese media reacted to Fernandes’ performance after the full-time whistle, with outlet A Bola giving him a 7/10 rating.
They added: “He seemed to internalize Rui Borges’s phrase at Sporting: he lacked inspiration, not attitude. He ran a lot, a lot, a lot, rarely with that ability to pierce the opponent’s defences. He took (and scored) Portugal’s third penalty.”
Portuguese outlet ZeroZero only gave Fernandes a 6/10 rating. The stand-out moment before the penalty shootout was Fernandes’ disallowed goal early in the second half.
Bruno Fernandes reflects on winning the Nations League
Seeing Fernandes lift a trophy this season will put a smile on the faces of United fans considering how his season ended at club level.
After his international success, Fernandes looked back on his season and his latest trophy.
As quoted by ZeroZero, he said: “Winning for Portugal has a different flavor. It was a difficult season for me at club level, but winning for our country, people, family, is spectacular.
“We knew that a big part of the game against Germany and Spain was about reacting to the opponents winning the ball back, because they like to have the ball calmly.
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“We had to react quickly and we did very well in that regard. We can do better things with the ball, but today was the icing on the cake.”
Ruben Amorim has been full of praise for Fernandes this season and he will be pleased to see his compatriot lift the Nations League.