Bruno Fernandes, ever since swapping the sunny Lisbon skies for rain-soaked Manchester in January 2020, has been integral to anything brilliant Manchester United have managed to muster – and supporters have become accustomed to watching him make an impact in the final third, but he also pops up when needed from a defensive standpoint. He's often seen busting a gut to chase back, win the ball and spring an attack of his own.
The Portuguese talisman's technical excellence combined with his innate leadership qualities would make him the perfect captain, or manager in this case, at five-a-side. Speaking to Rio Ferdinand recently, the 31-year-old was asked to name who he would pick for the best five-a-side team he could think of made up entirely of former teammates.
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Did Fernandes, widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football, opt for pragmatism by picking up two defenders or did he select his five players on a whim, thus leading to utter chaos on the pitch? The Old Trafford hero looks like the perfect candidate to go into management when he finally calls time on his career and hangs up his pass-spraying boots, but what would his ultimate five-a-side team look like?
Pepe
Portugal's Pepe
Opting for a solitary defender to mop things up at the back, Raphael Varane was pushed to the side because of Pepe's willingness to stay in good kettle post-retirement. "He’s going cycling, cycling kilometres and kilometres. I’m done with seeing photos of him on Instagram cycling," Fernandes commented about his former compatriot, who spent the majority of his career sweeping up silverware at Real Madrid.
"So Pepe, just ahead of Rafa Varane, just because I played more with Pepe than I played with Rafa. But friendship-wise, Rafa was like one of my best friends here. Friendship-wise in the national team, when I came, Pepe was one of the ones who helped me the most. So I need to put him there."
Whether Fernandes would be able to trust the now-retired 42-year-old to keep his head and not receive a sending-off is a conversation for another day but he'll be able to rely on him for his strength, physicality and high defensive IQ when coming up against deft and tricky opponents. His tally of three Champions League crowns for Los Blancos, combined with his 141 Portugal caps, speak for themselves.
Juan Mata
juan mata-1
On a small-sided pitch, technical ability is a must – and Fernandes' first of two midfield picks, Juan Mata, possesses that in abundance. "In midfield, I will put Juan Mata because he was one of the most special players I’ve played with in terms of technical ability, he’s probably one of the best. And then in terms of personal, he’s by far one of the best," the Portuguese said about his former teammate.
Able to jink in and out of opponents with relative ease, Mata – nicknamed 'El Mago', which translated into 'The Wizard' – would be given the license to roam in the midfield and beyond by Fernandes, a player he lined up alongside with on a mere 29 occasions. Seeing him up close and personal, though, was enough for Fernandes to understand just how talented the diminutive Spaniard was at the peak of his powers.
Paul Pogba
paul pogba
Unfairly considered by many as a Manchester United flop, Paul Pogba's talent could be place in the off-the-charts category. There was very little he couldn't do – from scoring a howitzer from 30 yards or so to hustling and bustling for the ball in his own half to glancing past opponents with ease, Pogba was the go-to man. Fernandes sure knows how gifted the Frenchman is from their 79 matches in midfielder together. On his midfielder to partner Mata, Fernandes pondered before picking the now-AS Monaco man:
"Let me think about another midfielder. I will put one that I think everyone has regrets about not seeing the best of him, that is Pogba. I need to put him there. I’ve seen the best of him because I played against him in Italy."
When asked about what made the World Cup-winning central midfielder so 'special', Fernandes said: "He has everything. He could do everything as a midfielder. He could run, he could recover balls, he could score goals, he could give assists, he could head the ball, he could win duels, he could do everything. He’s the most complete midfielder that I’ve seen for a long, long time who could do all these things.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo warms up to face the Republic of Ireland.
A man who needs no introduction, Cristiano Ronaldo – whose dedication to his craft is showcased by the fact he is still, at the age of 40, chasing the 1,000-goal milestone – is the first striker to lead the line for Fernandes, who has had the pleasure of playing alongside the Al-Nassr centre-forward for club and country. "Obviously, Cristiano has to be there. It’s the main goalscoring of the football world all the time for me," he said, as if it was a given.
And it's got to be, right? There have been few players as potent as the Sporting CP academy graduate throughout the entirety of the beautiful game, and he'd likely finish the abundance of chances he'd get in a five-a-side match. Not as tricky and agile as Fernandes would perhaps like, latching onto the end of Pogba and Mata's balls from midfield would come like second nature to one of world football's greatest-ever players.
Antonio Di Natale
antonio di natale
Fernandes' first wildcard pick, of sorts, is Antonio Di Natale up top. "And then I have one more striker to put there. I will put Di Natale," he said, before suggesting that he stayed loyal to the soil, refusing to join the Seven Sisters of Serie A. "That guy is, when we talk about loyalty, that’s also a guy, yeah. He could have gone to Juventus and decided to stay at Udinese for himself and for his family."
"He wanted to stay there. He had an amazing career. I think he’s top five goal scorers in Italy, Serie A, and that’s something unbelievable because he played for a team that struggles sometimes to be almost in relegation battles and stuff, and he still put numbers up there always, every year, like close to 20s," Fernandes concluded.
Royalty of the highest order in Udinese circles, Napoli-born Di Natale surrendered the chance to pick up more caps for Italy by staying put at a club he joined in 2004 and left 12 years later in 2016. The striker, who scored 227 goals in 445 outings for Udinese, played alongside Fernandes 58 times across three seasons – 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 – but they only combined for a goal together on four occasions.
Notable Omissions
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has played with Fernandes more times than any other teammate of the Portugal international's – so he's the first notable omission of them all. That said, the winger's game is more about burning defenders for pace and getting in behind and so, he's not entirely suited to playing on a much, much smaller pitch. Snubbing Bernardo Silva, however, is a shock.
A brilliant player, one who is capable of operating in small pockets of space, Silva has played alongside Fernandes on the international stage, and he could easily be exchanged for Mata. As already mentioned by the man himself, Raphael Varane – a pure defender of the highest order – was unfortunate not to be picked.
The same can be said for the goal-hungry Edinson Cavani, whose stint alongside Fernandes was short but very sweet. The two, at times, shared a telepathic connection with the Uruguayan striker running off the shoulders of defenders to latch onto Fernandes' pinpoint passes, and he'd score plenty of goals on the five-a-side circuit thanks to his turn-and-shoot ability.