Bruno Fernandes has explained how Antonio Di Natale taught him how to shoot.
Fernandes spent five formative years playing in Italy, moving there at 17-years-old to make his senior debut with Serie B side Novara, and later played for Serie A clubs Udinese and Sampdoria, before his return to Portugal in 2018.
Italy was where Fernandes built the foundation of his world-class career.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the World Cup starting this Thursday, Fernandes was asked to reveal the secret behind his star performances.
"It's about not thinking too much. I think that, obviously, it's work, it's training, and also something that has been born with me a bit since my childhood, which has always been one of my attributes, the pass and the shot," he said to ESPN. "But with that came a lot of work."
"I remember my time in Italy, which was difficult for me. In the first year of Udinese, I had been signed from the Italian second league to Novara and I arrive at Udinese thinking that: I was signed for €5 million ($5.8m), which at the time was a lot of money, I'm going to play, I'm going to be the player who's going to join here.
"And I ended up having a year, four months there, where I had to train a lot, work a lot. And I had two coaches who trained with me separately, technical coaches, so to speak, who made me even better."
He added: "With all this, I also had Di Natale who taught me how to hit the ball, how to position the body, how to take the steps before hitting the ball, the positioning of the goalkeeper and the positions where we are shooting."
Di Natale is a Serie A legend who scored 209 goals in Italy's top division.
Fernandes was teammates with Di Natale for three seasons between 2013 and 2016, where the Italian striker acted in the form of a mentor for the young, Portuguese midfielder, before Fernandes eventually made the move to Sampdoria in 2016.
He further explained the positive impact of being surrounded by influential players in the earlier stages of his career, as well as the importance of watching football to elevate his own game.
"And over time I had other players, in the national team I was fortunate to work with Cristiano [Ronaldo] all these years, and over time you will learn from the best," Fernandes said. "I watch a lot of soccer. I dedicate myself to learning from the players I see, not only those I refer [to], but also from all those who do something good."
Fernandes said: "Even today, in the Premier League, in the Spanish league, in the Italian and French league, in the whole world, I watch a lot of soccer and I can learn and get the best out of each one to try to include in my game."
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Since joining Manchester United in 2020 and being appointed captain in 2023, Fernandes has been a part of many highs and lows of the club. This season, United have experienced flashes of returning form, with Fernandes as a standout player at the forefront of their recent success -- finishing third in the 2025/26 Premier League.
He was voted the club's Player of the Year, took home the Premier League Playmaker award for his record-breaking 21 league assists, and was named the Premier League Player of the season.
"Playing for Manchester United is always a special moment for everyone. At the same time, it brings a lot of responsibility with it. But I don't think anyone comes to Manchester United thinking that we won't have the responsibility to win again, to be at the top of Premier League, at the top of European soccer. Because the club's history brings that responsibility," Fernandes said.
"Regardless of the most recent years they were not at the level that the club was used to. I think everyone always believes that we can be the ones who are going to do this, the ones who are going to turn the page, the ones who are going to make it possible for United to fight on all fronts."
He added: "And I think that has to be special for us players, to realize that we can be the main, let's say, protagonists of this change of history for United to win again."
Fernandes will now head to the World Cup where he will compete with for his national team, Portugal.
