Bruno: Declan Rice asked me for my shirt

Bruno Fernandes has given an interview with the club’s official site about his extensive shirt collection, with him also revealing that he keeps his own shirts from the key moments in his own career.

I have the first shirt of every first game that I do for every team that I’ve played for. Then I have the first shirt that I have been captain for the club. And the first shirt that I have been official as [permanent] captain. Then I have the first time I played in the Champions League. And then I have players’ ones and I have many. Ones from my mates, the Portuguese ones, from, I don’t know, Cancelo, Bernardo [Silva], many others, Matheus Nunes from City. All of them, the ones from Wolves, I think I could make an XI with all the Wolves shirts! I have Jota’s from Liverpool and then, I think the most people would say, the most nice one I have is Iniesta. That is one of the most special ones for me. I have a Cristiano one from the national team, when he scored a hat-trick against Lithuania. I got the shirt from him from that game. I have a Messi one, when I played against him in the Champions League for Sporting. From Italy, I have some – Chiellini, Buffon. I have a Cavani one from Uruguay. I have [Paulo] Dybala’s. I have Higuain, I have more. I have a lot of shirts!

Fernandes also has plenty of shirts from opposition Premier League players and revealed that Arsenal’s Declan Rice asked him to swap shirts when he was playing for West Ham.

I have De Bruyne’s, for example. He is someone that I’ve always really liked and respect a lot for what he has done in football. Martin Odegaard also, I also exchanged with both of them. I have exchanged the shirts with players that play in my position, that I really like, and I really think that they are top-class players, like Cole Palmer, I have his shirt also.

I don’t know if there’s anyone but I wouldn’t mind asking them if I do think so. Declan Rice, when he was still at West Ham. He asked me, at the time, when we swapped because I know he does have a big collection. I also have a Son one from Tottenham.

While Bruno has plenty of shirts, the one he is missing is Andrea Pirlo, one of his idols, but he wasn’t brave enough to ask him.

The only one that I really, really regret not asking for was Andrea Pirlo. He was one of my favourite ones growing up, him and Iniesta, but I have never been brave enough to ask him. So, at the time, I was too shy for that. I did get a chance to speak to him, in Turin, when he was [Juventus] manager and we went there with the national team to have a camp there. I had a chance to speak with him and chat and it was very, very good. I had the time to stay there and exchange some words with someone that I always looked up to and I even said to him if, for any chance, you have a shirt at home that you don’t need or is there just for no reason, could you just remember me and, if you want, you can send it to the Portuguese camp. He never did it! Now I think it is obviously the only one I regret not asking for.

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The post Bruno: Declan Rice asked me for my shirt first appeared on Republik Of Mancunia: A Manchester United Blog.