'What?!' - Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes painfully reveals how his son loves Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai
Football's fierce rivalries blurred by youth
The historic rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is one of the most tribal and unyielding divides in global football. For the professionals who represent either club, those battle lines are absolute. However, the innocence of youth often pays little attention to deep-rooted club loyalties.
Fresh from being crowned PFA Players' Player of the Year, United captain Fernandes has found himself navigating this exact dilemma. The Portuguese playmaker has firmly cemented his status as a modern-day hero at Old Trafford, yet his own household is evidently not immune to the allure of Anfield's current crop of midfield stars.
Fernandes reacts to his son's affection for Szoboszlai
Speaking exclusively to Adebayo Akinfenwa on a special episode of the Beast Mode On Podcast, Fernandes revealed the unexpected Premier League rival currently capturing his son's imagination.
After the Wycombe Wanderers legend, a boyhood Liverpool supporter himself, admitted that his own 11-year-old son actually idolises the United skipper, Fernandes shared his own amusing anecdote. The Portuguese star detailed how a recent kickabout at home led to the realisation his child was a fan of the Reds talisman.
He said: "Yesterday my son was playing football and he was telling me he was Szoboszlai. When he said Szoboszlai I was like; 'What?!'"
Personal standards over individual accolades
Beyond household banter, Fernandes' remarkable creative output on the pitch has cemented his legacy among the Premier League's all-time great playmakers. Having established himself as United's primary creative catalyst, the Portuguese captain reflected on the historic milestone of surpassing Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne to break their long-standing joint-assist record.
He said: "Obviously it's very special, breaking a record that was there for many years. Kevin was able to equal that and it was something unbelievable for me. The day I got 14 or 15 assists, my highest in the Premier League, for me that was already an achievement."
Fernandes maintained that continuous self-improvement remains his primary ambition rather than hunting down individual milestones, adding: "What I put in myself is to be a better version of myself and not trying to beat someone else. Then, as I got closer everyone started talking a lot about it and you look at that, you see that, but it was never an aim to try to overtake Thierry and Kevin. Because it's part of my game it came and I was very happy. I wouldn't put a number (in terms of rating) on the season I had but personally it was a very successful one."
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