Bruno Fernandes, captain of Manchester United, revealed a painful truth: his son actually admires Dominik Szoboszlai, a Liverpool player.
On 4 Sep 2026 GMT+7, Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United's captain, shared a humorous story about his son's favorite footballer after recently winning the Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year award.
Fernandes gave an exclusive interview on the Beast Mode Podcast, hosted by Adebayor Akínfenwa, a former Wycombe Wanderers striker and lifelong Liverpool fan.
During the conversation, Fernandes admitted his surprise upon discovering that his son did not idolize a Manchester United player but instead admired Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.
Fernandes recounted that the incident happened while his son was playing football at home.
"Yesterday, my son was playing football and told me he was Szoboszlai. When he said Szoboszlai, I was like, 'What?!'" Fernandes said with astonishment.
This story shows that the rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool may not significantly affect children, despite the clubs being fierce competitors with a long history of rivalry.
Beyond his son's story, Fernandes also discussed his personal achievements after breaking the Premier League assist record, surpassing previous record holders Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
The Manchester United captain said breaking a long-standing record was special to him. He recalled that when he had 14-15 assists—the highest in his career at that time—he already considered that a success.
However, Fernandes stressed that he never aimed specifically to break Henry’s or De Bruyne’s records but focused primarily on improving himself.
"My goal has been to be the best version of myself, not to try to beat anyone else," he said.
Fernandes added that although people started talking more about records as he neared them, breaking records was never his main goal. He regarded last season as one of his most successful.