Since becoming Manchester United’s new no.8, Bruno Fernandes has explained the heartwarming reason for wearing his favorite number on his shirt.
Fernandes wore the number eight for Sporting in Portugal for three years, and previously for Udinese, before joining United in January 2020.Since his arrival at Old Trafford, the Portuguese star has worn the number 18 shirt for the Reds, quickly becoming a fan favorite.
However, after Juan Mata, the shirt’s previous owner, left in the summer, Bruno’s favorite number became available for purchase.
Prior to the start of the 2022–23 season, the 27-year-old claimed the famous number, which is frequently worn by midfielders, and explained how important the number eight is to him.
“That shirt means a lot [to me]” he said to MUTV. “There is a history behind that [number] because my father, when he used to be a player, he was playing with a number eight.
“He quit from football because he had an offer from work, and obviously at that time for me and my brothers and for all the family it was better that he had proper work than [to] keep playing football.”
Bruno values the sacrifice that his father made for him to achieve his football goals, and he believes that by wearing the number that he did, he is carrying on his father’s legacy.
“The number eight is the number he was using for two years,” he said.
“Because it was also his dream [to be a footballer], it makes my dream a little bit of him.”
Fernandes has a close bond with his parents, and also revealed that his ‘BF8′ tattoo on his arm actually honours them.
“The B is the last name of my mum, Borges, and the F is the last name of my father, Fernandes,” he explained.
“The eight is the day of my birthday! So this number eight says a lot about me, says a lot about my family, says a lot about my past and that’s why I like to use [it]. And that’s why it’s my preferred number.”
Watch the full interview here.
https://www.manutd.com/en/videos/detail/bruno-fernandes-discusses-the-number-8-shirt-july-2022
