MANCHESTER UNITED star Bruno Fernandes has named Andres Iniesta as a major of inspiration of his, admitting that it baffles him that the Spaniard never won the Ballon d’Or.
After signing for the Red Devils in January, Fernandes quickly hit the ground running.
The Portuguese international scored three goals and assisted a further four in his first nine appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side – propelling them into top four, Europa League and FA Cup contention.
Having already become a hero of the Stretford End in such a short space of time, the 25-year-old has given fans a chance to get to know him better.
Keen followers will have already identified his style as a supreme creator, but now the man himself has described his inspirations… starting with Barcelona’s legendary No8.
He told the club’s official website: “The one I liked to watch and follow was Iniesta, because Iniesta is a mix between an eight and a ten.
For me, it was impressive how Iniesta finished his career without the Ballon d’Or. With everything he won, it is difficult for me to understand!
Bruno Fernandes
“It is a way I can do better, between eight and ten. It is the guy who always likes to have the ball, take the risks, and I think Iniesta was one of the best in the world.
“For me, it was impressive how Iniesta finished his career without the Ballon d’Or. With everything he won, it is difficult for me to understand!”
And Iniesta wasn’t the only Barcelona star that had the young Fernandes mesmerised.
He continued: “I have a lot of players I like to see. For example, in my first few years, the player I think is the one everyone liked and always will like is Ronaldinho.
“For me, he is the player with the capacity to take you and put you in front of the TV, and you will stay for hours. For hours!
“Because he had that energy and happiness. He was happy in everything he did. You enjoy it when you see guys playing like that, so for the first few years Ronaldinho was my favourite player.”
When it comes to Portuguese influence, Fernandes is following in the footsteps of royalty at Old Trafford in the shape of his international team-mate.
“After this, I have already said that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the players. As a professional player, he is the best you can follow.”
Having drawn praise from all quarters for his superb, game-changing early performances in red, Fernandes described his mentality to fans.
He explained: “Warrior, because for me every game is a battle.
“You need to go out to the game and just understand you need to beat your opponent.
“With all of the respect, because you need to have respect for your opponent, but you need to beat them. If you don’t beat them, they will beat you.
“It doesn’t matter who is on the other team. If it is a friend, because I have friends playing in the Premier League, I don’t care. At that moment I will be the biggest enemy they can have.”
