Real Madrid: 5 players we’re glad Florentino Perez never signed
4. Bruno Fernandes
I don’t know what kind of a coincidence this is, but we have a third Manchester United player on this list, Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese international was also linked to Real Madrid in the past, but a move never happened.
Back in 2019, Real Madrid was on a spending spree, as they spent over 300 million in transfers, trying to reinforce the team that had a horrible 2018/19 season. The club signed numerous forwards and defenders, but they couldn’t sign a midfielder through the window, and there were growing concerns regarding the lack of balance in the midfield department.
Bruno Fernandes was a name that was linked to the club a couple of times during the summer, but there was never any serious interest. But during the last few days of the window, Fiorentina’s Sporting Director Daniele Prade surprised everyone by saying that Sporting Lisbon and Real Madrid had struck a deal for Bruno Fernandes. Prade revealed that the Fernandes deal prevented Fiorentina from approaching Sporting’s Lisbon.
Well, his words ultimately proved to be false, as a deal never happened, and Bruno went on to join Manchester United six months later. But he can’t be entirely wrong, and there might have been a possibility that Real tried to go after Bruno Fernandes. If that’s the case, then we can definitely say that missing out on Bruno turned out to be a boon for Real.
Bruno Fernandes isn’t any bad player, and he has indeed been a successful signing for United, registering great numbers in England. But one can’t judge him on the basis of goal contributions alone, and there is more to it than what meets the eye. For a player who is considered to be one of the best in the Premier League, he has serious technical flaws. He is someone who’s considered United’s leader, but he has some issues with his decision-making at the age of 27 and doesn’t look like a team player at times.
The more we see of Bruno Fernandes, the more it feels like he can’t fit at Real Madrid. Being someone who watches United and Fernandes week in and week out, I can surely say that I’m glad Perez didn’t sign the Portuguese.