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00:01Bruno, this is the first interview I've ever done.
00:03Yeah.
00:04So, be quiet.
00:05And you've just f***ed my first question away.
00:09That was the first thing I was going to say,
00:10and now you've just robbed that off me as well.
00:12You can still say it!
00:21Yeah, so going into Manchester United's training ground
00:24to do the podcast with Bruno Fernandes.
00:28I'm looking forward to it, actually.
00:30I think it'll be good because Kai and Kelly
00:32are not here with me.
00:34I'm doing it alone, which, really,
00:37it's the first time I've ever sort of interviewed someone from.
00:41So, is it going to be a bit of a different podcast today?
00:43It'll be a little bit different.
00:45Obviously, being Man United's best player for a few years,
00:49captain of Manchester United,
00:50and a player who I really like watching.
00:53Well, I hope it turns out to be just one ex-captain
00:57and Colin's Manchester United's captain.
01:00Have a good job.
01:01Bye, thanks.
01:02Have a good job.
01:15Hi.
01:16Hi, Bruno.
01:18Hi, Bruno.
01:18You all right?
01:18Hi, Bruno.
01:19How you doing?
01:20You okay?
01:21You doing it?
01:21Yeah.
01:26Hi, Bruno.
01:27Bruno, just get a big clap.
01:29Bruno, good to see you, mate.
01:32This is the first interview I've ever done,
01:35so I think you're going to have to bear with me a little bit.
01:37It might be a bit up and down.
01:39I feel it's a privilege, that.
01:40A bit up and down, but bear with me.
01:42How are you?
01:42I'm good, I'm good.
01:43And you?
01:44I'm very good.
01:45Very nice to be here with you.
01:46To be honest, I've seen you many times.
01:48I played against you.
01:50I got the shirt off you, but you don't know it.
01:52Because I asked Juan to get it for me.
01:55He's not a United one, he's a Derby one.
01:57Oh, the Derby one, yeah.
01:58For you to be here, and it's been tough,
02:02and I think it's been tough over the last few years,
02:05and how have you handled that?
02:07Because obviously, as the leader, you're having to deal with a lot of stuff.
02:11How have you handled?
02:13Obviously, it's not been as I wanted.
02:16I've seen the club for so many years.
02:19Obviously, when you were playing, when Cristiano was here,
02:22for me, it was the times that I was growing up and following the club.
02:26And that was probably one of the best clubs in the world.
02:29And not just club, but team also,
02:31because you guys were winning year after year.
02:33And when you come to a club like this, you feel that.
02:36You want to do the same, you want to win.
02:38Even knowing that when I came, I knew the club was not in the best place already.
02:41But when you come to United, you always think that
02:44I'm going to be closer to win trophies and to achieve what I want to achieve.
02:48Obviously, as not being like that, I've achieved some things,
02:51but not as many as I wanted and as many as the club wanted.
02:55But for me, it was just about playing football.
02:57You know, I just enjoy to play.
02:58And I know that in this club, you have a lot of things surrounding
03:02and a lot of people talking about.
03:04But this is the price you have to pay to play in a big club.
03:07And for me, you like when people speak well about you.
03:11You don't like it as much when they say bad things about you.
03:14But you have to deal with that in the same way.
03:16So, for me, it's about that.
03:18I think you're in the best form you've been in for Manchester United.
03:23And it is a joy watching you play.
03:25And the best thing I like about you is you take a risk.
03:28You're not scared to give the ball away.
03:30I think that's a big skill to have.
03:31I think, obviously, I think the position where I can give more to the team
03:35is probably as a 10.
03:36Because, obviously, I don't think in the years I've been here,
03:39we didn't have a lot of players that could play as a 10 to create,
03:43to take that risk, to not have that fear of losing the ball or whatever.
03:47When I first came, we had Juan and he was amazing,
03:50but he was playing more towards the right side than as a 10.
03:54But then I never had the chance of playing deeper with someone as a 10.
03:57That would be the guy that would create.
03:59And that's what made me probably be more the 10 year.
04:02Because when I was at Sporting, I always rotate between the 10 and the 8.
04:07But I think, yeah, for me,
04:08I don't know if it's the best form in my career or whatever,
04:12but I'm enjoying playing.
04:14And, obviously, numbers are coming up.
04:16And, obviously, as a 10, you want to assist the other ones.
04:19I think, obviously, the best thing in football is scoring a goal.
04:23For the position I play and for the way we want to play
04:26and the way we set and with the players I have up front,
04:29serving them and giving them the passes is something that I really enjoy.
04:33Well, you lead the team, don't you?
04:35And what I love about what you're doing is consistently you're in the team,
04:40you play, you very rarely come out of the team.
04:44Have you played through big injuries?
04:45Yeah, I've played some with, obviously, I didn't have, let's say, massive injuries.
04:51It's not because I want to show that I'm stronger than the other ones or whatever,
04:54just I enjoy playing football.
04:55If there's something that I really can't play, okay.
04:58But I feel that pain is something that during the games you can kind of forget it.
05:03If you go with the emotion of the game, I don't really think about it.
05:06Because if I have the manager that says to me, like, no, stay calm, stay on your side,
05:11it's fine, you rest two games, I will be doing that.
05:14But if I have the manager on the other side saying, no, we need you,
05:17just make an effort, try it.
05:18And I played against Tottenham when my foot all blew up and I had pain everywhere.
05:24They put a strapping on me.
05:26I hate playing with strappings, I never played with strappings.
05:28I hate having things on my feet, I feel it, I don't know, I feel strange.
05:31You feel like a cramp?
05:32Yeah, I got into the warm-up, I came out of the warm-up, I took the strap
05:35and the guy that has just done the strap, he was there like for 15 minutes
05:39trying to make it the best way, I suppose I said, I'm sorry, but I can't.
05:42I just play with this and then whatever has to happen, will happen.
05:45You still need the game, don't you? I can see.
05:47Just see how you're talking.
05:48I just like, for me, as you said, I had some fights.
05:51Obviously, when Ruben was here and I had my arm string injury,
05:55it was my first time, so I was a little bit also scared about like,
05:58what could this be?
05:59Because, you know, like then the doctors, when they speak to you,
06:01they kind of scare you like, oh my God, and I was like, no, I'm fine.
06:04Because even at Villa I got injured in half-time, I wanted to come,
06:07like I said, I can carry on, that's fine.
06:09Because we didn't have many players on the bench also,
06:11it was a time when we were struggling, I think.
06:13I said, no, no, I played through, it's fine.
06:14And then Ruben was like, no, no, no, you can't play,
06:16because then we're going to lose you for more time.
06:18And I was like, no, let me go.
06:19And if I can't make it, he said, no, no, no, I'm making this up.
06:22And I came, I had the scan, they said like, you need to be out.
06:25Then I wanted to play Leeds away.
06:27And they said, no, no, you can't play.
06:30I said, no, I'm okay for 20 minutes.
06:31And then I was like going to the manager saying one thing,
06:34then going to the doctor saying another thing.
06:35I was trying to fix something in the way that the bubble could go around.
06:39Then I was like, I'm going to get at least 20 minutes in the end of the game.
06:42But I couldn't, I couldn't make it.
06:44But at least then Burnley, when Fletch was here, he told me it's 60 minutes
06:49and I have to take you off.
06:50I said, no, if we're not winning, don't take me off.
06:52And he was like, Bruno, please, I have to take you off.
06:59I said like, no, if we're not winning, just leave me on the pitch.
07:02And half time we were, I think, 1-1.
07:05Or 1-1 or losing 1-0 probably.
07:07And I said, yeah, we were losing 1-0.
07:10And then second half, we scored two quick goals.
07:12And Fletch looked at me, it was around 58 minutes.
07:15And he looked at me and I was like, yeah, okay.
07:18I didn't want to make things difficult for Fletch,
07:21coming in two games, and if I get injured again,
07:24the ball would get on him.
07:25He would have won it to you.
07:26You'd get to blame and everything.
07:27So I was like, okay, I'll come out.
07:29And as soon as I came out, I said, Bruno, I had to take you off.
07:32Sorry, I wanted to keep you on the pitch, but I had to take you off.
07:34Growing up as a child, and then if you think,
07:38if you were the fast forward and said to yourself,
07:4120 years time, 15 years time, I'm going to be captain of Manchester United.
07:46Would you ever have dreamt that you would have that opportunity?
07:50No, I said that this many times, I've dreamed about playing for the club.
07:53Obviously, I saw you guys playing so many times,
07:56and I was following the club for so long.
07:58But I never thought about being captain of the club.
08:00For me, just coming to the club was already a dream come true,
08:03a privilege, you know, playing for the club and playing for so long.
08:06Because, you know, staying at this club for so long is not for everyone.
08:09That was the thing in my head, you know, coming to this club,
08:12stay there, winning trophies, being one of the players that will be there for the good moments,
08:18and trying to build the club into glory again.
08:22But it's a privilege and the honour for me to be the captain of the club.
08:25And when the chance came, obviously, it was not in the best way,
08:28because obviously, Harry was at the club and he's not leaving the club,
08:33and they have to choose another one.
08:34So, I had a conversation with Harry, and so that made me feel much better on the way.
08:39Like, OK, I need to deal with this.
08:41I know that I have his support in terms of like, OK, it was my time,
08:45they decided that it's not anymore, and then we go forward with this.
08:49And I think that helped me a lot from his side, having him on my side.
08:54Like, he was the first one to talk with me when he knew that I would be the captain.
08:57So, that was a very good sign for me that he accepted.
09:01Obviously, you never accepted too well, but in some way he accepted that I would be the captain
09:08and he was there to help me, and he did, to be honest.
09:11But, as I said before, I never thought or dreamed about being the captain of the club.
09:15I just wanted to play for it.
09:16Michael Carrick, Steve Quinn, how has it been?
09:19Because I was in Barbados with him the week before.
09:23Yeah, I know. I know about it.
09:23So, we were on the beach having a beer, we were chilling, and then all of a sudden,
09:28he's manager of Manchester United.
09:30I actually was thinking about it, and I was thinking, do you know what?
09:33I think this is a really good fit.
09:35He came in, and I think, I knew him from the time of Ole, obviously not as a manager,
09:41that he had three games as a manager, and you could think already
09:45that there was something more than an assistant manager, or someone that could be
09:49more than just an assistant manager.
09:52And I think that three games showed that, because the way he prepared the game,
09:56the way he spoke to us in the games against, I think, was Arsenal, Chelsea and Villarreal.
10:01Villarreal, yeah.
10:02You could kind of understand that he was prepared for the moment,
10:06and you could see that there was already someone that was ready for the next step,
10:10and not just to be behind someone else.
10:12He came with the energy that the team needed, with a lot of positive energy,
10:16good things to say, very nice words in terms of, not just nice words of good words,
10:21but nice words in terms of when he's needed something stronger,
10:24when he's needed something softer, when he's needed something to bring the team together.
10:28And I think that was very important for the full environment to feel like,
10:32OK, we've changed from here now.
10:35We just have to try to go up and not thinking that what could have been,
10:38what we should have done, what we could have been differently.
10:42And I think that was the main thing, that change was everyone in the team,
10:47but also staff and everyone was very quick to, OK, it didn't work,
10:51let's turn off, turn on the other one and let's push to achieve what we want to achieve in this
10:58season.
10:58And at this moment we are in the best position we could ever be when Michael just came in.
11:04We never thought that in this probable time of moment we would be third
11:07and depending on yourself to secure the top four.
11:10I remember a scene last summer and there was speculation that you might leave the club,
11:15you might stay.
11:16For you now, if you go on to captain Manchester United back to the Premier League title or to the
11:23Champions League,
11:24do you know what that will do for you?
11:26No, I know.
11:27Do you know what that will leave the legacy you will leave at this football club?
11:30I'm very aware of that and that's obviously that season when I stayed.
11:34It was a little bit because of that.
11:35I don't want to leave the club at the point where we were struggling
11:39and we needed something to get back in positions we wanted to be.
11:44Obviously, I never hide from that.
11:46I want to win the Premier League, I want to win the Champions League.
11:48I never hide from that and I will never hide.
11:51I might do it, I might not.
11:52That's part of football, but I think I'm still very able of helping the club
11:57to get back to that position and to get what I wanted in the first place when I came to
12:01the club.
12:02Obviously, it's difficult when you hear a lot of things coming.
12:07Obviously, the Saudi situation with the money was a lot and all these things.
12:12But I've always said and the good thing I have in my family is that my wife is pretty down
12:17to earth like me.
12:18And we're very aware that we don't want to be the richest person in the world.
12:23We just want to be the ones that have achieved the dreams that they had
12:27and live a good life with their kids and trying to be as more successful as possible.
12:32And I was very good at the time.
12:36In my head, I was about to stay in, but the words of my wife was like,
12:41have you achieved your dreams? Have you achieved everything we wanted?
12:44And that small things that she said made me understand that,
12:48okay, she's in the same page as me.
12:51What I was thinking is not wrong.
12:53Let's try it, let's keep trying it and let's see where this takes me.
12:57You'd always have to listen to your wife.
12:58Yeah.
13:01Whatever they say, I don't know.
13:06How's it going there?
13:07Good, he's doing good, he's doing good.
13:09He was better on the pitch anyway, yeah?
13:13This is the time where you can get started.
13:18What would be your best moment you've had at the club?
13:21Probably one of the ones that I like the most is the assist to Kobe in the FA Cup final.
13:26Because from the moment I start running from the halfway line to the edge of the box,
13:30I think it was probably the play that I've scanned the most the game.
13:34Because obviously you know when you get into that moment and playing against City,
13:37you know that normally they will have the ball for long periods
13:40and you're going to have to suffer and sacrifice.
13:42And then there's going to be moments where you need to be aware, clever,
13:45knowing where all the players are.
13:47And then as soon I know that Gartner's coming in and that ball could come to me.
13:51My first thought was like, if this comes perfectly I'm going to shoot
13:54because the position was perfect, but as soon the ball starts travelling
13:57I see John Stone stepping out and I knew Kyle was just behind Kobe.
14:02So if I make the pass in the right moment with the right pace, timing,
14:06Kobe's going to be in a much better position than myself to finish the play.
14:10So I think that for me, that's the moment for me as a player for what I can give to
14:15the team
14:15and what I like to see in players that play in that position.
14:18That's the moment I like.
14:20You make it look so easy and not many players even at the top level will be able to see
14:25that and execute it.
14:26When you get it, I'm looking at players and thinking, look, everyone's gone, everyone's running.
14:29So I would love to have the opportunity to play alongside you. Do you think we would work?
14:34No, it would.
14:35It would, first of all, because I think everyone knows about your artwork of the ball and everything, you know,
14:40and probably people will think about that, too offensive and everything.
14:44But I think when you have players that play in the 10th position that know how to defend as an
14:48eight or a six
14:49and they run as much as they can to help the team and defend.
14:52I think in that terms we won't have problems of doing that dirty side of the game, let's say, as
14:59a 10,
15:00that probably in your time was not many 10s that would do it.
15:03And that's something that I think was very impressive from your side.
15:08In a generation where the number 10 was just like the fancy player that would get the ball and everything.
15:13And apart of you scoring goals, giving assists, you would run everywhere and fight anyone on the pitch,
15:18being strong. And apart of that, I think for me, it would have been a privilege playing alongside you
15:23because I've watched you for many, many years and were a player that I had in my head always to
15:30follow up
15:31in the way you played, in the way you felt the game, the way you were grafting up and the
15:36way you wanted to win games
15:37and that you would never allow anyone to get ahead of you.
15:40That's something that I've always liked. I like players with that spark, with that firing side,
15:45because I think that's the players that make a difference in many big teams.
15:50So, we're coming towards the end of the season, playing the year, coming up.
15:56I genuinely think this year, I think you should win it.
16:01I think what you're bringing to the team, when the team's going through a bad period,
16:06you're there consistently, you're leading and I think you're the perfect example to your teammates.
16:13I think you'll win it. I think you should win it. I think you will win it. And if you
16:18don't, it'd be hard to say.
16:23It's a huge privilege to be in the conversation. Obviously, as a player, you can say as many times as
16:29you want
16:30that you want to win trophies collectively. And that's true. But obviously, these individual accolades are always nice for you,
16:36for your personal side, for you to know that you don't need the accolades to know that you did a
16:41good season or not.
16:41But obviously, when you know there is players voting for you, that has a little bit of a different impact.
16:47Because it's the players that you've been playing against and if they recognise you as one of the best in
16:53the league
16:53or the best in the league for that season, it's a huge privilege.
16:58Obviously, I'm pretty aware that players that win the league get closer to get that trophy and to win that.
17:06Because we always put together in the same place, winning the league by a player who is always going to
17:12have a certain weight.
17:13But I think I've done very well this season. I think probably getting into this conversation is already a privilege.
17:21I'm not really focused on that. Obviously, I would be more than happy to win it. I'm not going to
17:28lie on that.
17:30If I do end up winning, it's something unbelievable because I've never done it before.
17:35So it's a privilege and an honour. But I think there are other players that have done a very good
17:41season,
17:42different ways, different playing styles and stuff like that. And let's see who gets it at the end of the
17:49season.
17:49So if you win it, if you do win it, make sure your teammates go to the event and celebrate.
17:54So I won it.
17:55I don't think any of my teammates went. But I've been so...
17:59When my teammates have won it, I've gone and we've all gone to celebrate.
18:03And then when I won, I was like, where's all the teammates? What's going on here? But make sure they
18:08go and celebrate.
18:09I'll make sure that if they don't go in. It's a fine day for them.
18:11It's a fine day for them. If you do win it, so hopefully you do.
18:13World Cup coming up, Portugal have given me my two worst nights of football.
18:18I know that. I broke my foot and then 2006 got the red card.
18:22And I actually mean this because of Cristiano in there, I would love to see him win the World Cup.
18:28And yourself, so go and enjoy it. Have fun. And I hope you do well.
18:34Thank you very much. I will try my best to make my country proud. Obviously, as you said, wrapping up
18:41all this last World Cup with Cristiano, winning it will be something amazing.
18:46And I really hope that we can make that, not just for Portugal, but for everything that Cristiano gave to
18:52football in Portugal and to the world.
18:55I think will be a very nice way to win this season.
18:58I think 2004 is my first memory of Portugal playing because I was ten years old.
19:04I shouldn't say this, but when England lost in penalties, I was in my grandma's house.
19:08I run with my cousins, we run outside in the streets. Screaming.
19:11I was in the hospital, in the Portuguese hospital, in meet England kids though, watching it on a little TV.
19:17And then obviously the 2006, I remember because obviously everyone remembers Cristiano and Wayne's little bit of fire there.
19:26And ends up in... Jamie Carragher missing the penalty. I had to say this, sorry Jamie.
19:33I had to get a little bit of you. You get on me all the time, I can get on
19:37you that penalty.
19:38When I miss a penalty, don't say nothing about it, please.
19:41Well, Bruno, thanks so much for doing the podcast. Very appreciated and good luck.
19:46Thank you very much. A pleasure.
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