Can Fernandes surpass Ronaldo’s Manchester United legacy?

Dubai: Manchester United legend Gary Neville said Bruno Fernandes is ‘the best Manchester United signing post the Sir Alex Ferguson era,’ after the midfielder scored a hat-trick against Ipswich on Sunday but he isn’t the only Portuguese player to light up Old Trafford.

Twice upon a time, the great Cristiano Ronaldo wore the famous red of United.

While his second spell at Old Trafford ultimately ended in disappointment and controversy, his first remains etched into the club’s history.

Arriving as a raw 18-year-old talent, Ronaldo quickly developed into the best player in the world and one of the greatest to ever grace the Premier League.

He won three Premier League titles with the club, scored a then-record 31 goals in the 2007/08 season and claimed his first of five Ballon d’Ors that same year, before moving on to Real Madrid and making even more history.

Given everything Ronaldo had achieved at the club, and what he went on to accomplish after leaving, the excitement was unlike anything else in football when he returned to Manchester United in 2021 at the age of 36.

While his second spell ultimately did not end the way either he or the club would have wanted, Ronaldo still managed to add 27 goals to his United tally, taking him to 145 for the club, while earning a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in his first season back.

It will be some task for the United captain to build a greater legacy at the club, and truthfully, Ronaldo will probably be number one in a lot of the hearts of Manchester United fans.

There are plenty of similarities between Ronaldo and Fernandes’ moves to the club. Both arrived from Sporting Lisbon with plenty to prove in English football, and both quickly established themselves as key figures at Old Trafford.

Fernandes has become one of the Premier League’s standout players during what has been a difficult period in United’s history, consistently carrying the team and delivering when it matters.

But there is one major difference between the two… Trophies.

So far Fernandes has been unable to deliver United either of the two biggest club prizes on offer in English football and Europe, the Premier League and the Champions League.

Ronaldo, by comparison, managed to win both during his first spell at Old Trafford. He lifted three Premier League titles and, in 2008, led United to Champions League glory, cementing his place among the club’s all-time greats.

Fernandes has achieved some incredible individual accolades that stand alongside Ronaldo’s achievements during his first spell at United, with the obvious exception of the Ballon d’Or, he has already broken the Premier League’s all-time assist record and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for last season.

Yet, without the major trophies to go alongside those personal honours, he may always be regarded as second to Ronaldo in the eyes of United fans.

With a new season bringing fresh opportunities under Michael Carrick, it will be fascinating to see whether Fernandes can finally deliver one of the big prizes back to Old Trafford and take another step towards the great Ronaldo’s legacy.