We waxed lyrical about Bruno Fernandes last season. He comes into this World Cup for Portugal having just produced one of the great Premier League creative seasons.
His numbers were phenomenal: 35 appearances. 9 goals. 21 assists. 30 goal involvements.
He broke the assist record in a team which struggled so badly early on in the season, and he simply just kept producing. He won the Premier League Golden Playmaker award for the first time and now his attention shifts to the biggest international stage.
Creatively last season, Bruno was in a league of his own. 112 key passes, with 32 big chances created, the best figure in the league. That means he was not just recycling possession or collecting soft assists from sideways passes. He was repeatedly putting his grateful teammates into scoring positions. And one could only imagine how many more assists he would have managed with a more potent front line in front of him. That’s exactly what Portugal have as they look to him for creativity. Serious firepower comes into play, combined with runners everywhere. Rafael Leão stretching the left, Pedro Neto or Francisco Conceição attacking from the right, Bernardo Silva drifting inside and Cristiano Ronaldo or Gonçalo Ramos waiting in the box. With Vitinha and João Neves behind him, Fernandes can play as the advanced creator, feeding one of the tournament’s deepest attacks.
Of course, the World Cup is a different animal. It is shorter, sharper and colder. There is no 38-game runway. One perfect pass can decide a group. One clipped ball behind a full-back can change a tournament. Bruno has spent the season rehearsing exactly that. It’s time for the big stage, and he’s coming in red hot!
Pelé’s Long-Standing World Cup Record
The record being dangled in front of him is historic. Pelé got six assists at the 1970 World Cup, and scored four goals. He was involved in more than half of Brazil’s goals as he led his team to glory.
Six assists in a World Cup sounds absurd until you remember Bruno has just produced 21 in a Premier League season. He has the range from deep, the delivery from set-pieces, the timing between the lines and, crucially, the confidence of a player who knows chances follow him around. Portugal have finishers. Bruno has the supply line.
Are we about to witness more magic from Fernandes?
