00:00:00
In the in the football career, you go
00:00:02
through a lot ups and downs and a lot of
00:00:05
uh difficult moments.
00:00:08
And uh let's say the ones that suffered
00:00:10
most family,
00:00:16
they um they see your good moments, your
00:00:20
bad moments, your good side, your bad
00:00:22
side also,
00:00:24
but uh they always stand by you.
00:00:26
>> Your time at Manchester United has been
00:00:28
a bit of a roller coaster like this. And
00:00:29
so on that day when you get a big offer
00:00:31
to leave Manchester United for a
00:00:32
contract that was worth reportedly 200
00:00:35
million, why didn't you go?
00:00:39
>> It's Captain Fantastic.
00:00:41
>> Manchester United's captain Bruno
00:00:43
Fernandez has arguably become their
00:00:46
greatest player in the post Ferguson
00:00:49
era. There isn't a single player in the
00:00:51
Premier League who has more assists
00:00:53
since his arrival. He's won more club
00:00:56
player of the year awards than Ronaldo
00:00:58
and only five players have scored more
00:01:01
than his 70 league goals. So, I'm at the
00:01:04
Manchester United training ground to ask
00:01:06
him the questions the footballing world
00:01:08
wants to know, including recently Roy
00:01:11
Keane criticized your mentality based on
00:01:13
a quote he claimed you said. How do you
00:01:15
respond to that?
00:01:16
>> He came criticizing me, killing me,
00:01:18
saying that I'm not good enough, that
00:01:19
I'm not a good captain, that I'm not a
00:01:20
good player for the club. It's okay. I
00:01:22
don't mind. What I don't like is when
00:01:24
people lie about things. I even asked
00:01:26
Ole his number to have a word with him.
00:01:28
>> Did you speak to him?
00:01:38
>> Bruno. To understand somebody, I always
00:01:41
think you have to start with where they
00:01:42
started and the the early context that
00:01:44
they grew up in. And we were just
00:01:45
talking before we started recording
00:01:46
about Porto. I'm on a journey to
00:01:48
understand why you are the way that you
00:01:50
are because you're such an anomaly on
00:01:51
the pitch and your your career when I
00:01:53
track the journey of where you've come
00:01:54
from and how you continually were
00:01:56
promoted and pushed forward at a very
00:01:58
young age is clear to me that your early
00:02:00
context your early upbringing and
00:02:01
whatever it was that was present at that
00:02:04
age has shaped you in some very very
00:02:06
important way what is the sort of
00:02:08
earliest thing I need to understand
00:02:09
about where you came from and that
00:02:11
environment
00:02:13
>> for me is all about family is about
00:02:15
taking care of other people And I think
00:02:18
to succeed not just in in sports but in
00:02:20
life, you need to be you need to be very
00:02:24
careful of of your surroundings. So I
00:02:26
think the values of my family, the
00:02:28
values of my of my parents were were
00:02:30
what make me the person and the player I
00:02:32
am today.
00:02:33
>> The older I've gotten, I'm now 33, so I
00:02:34
think I'm 2 years older than you, the
00:02:36
more I've realized actually with time
00:02:38
what I learned from my parents and like
00:02:40
the values that my dad in particular
00:02:42
gave me. He never for a lot of the
00:02:44
things it's not something he ever said
00:02:46
to me. It's like modeling what he did.
00:02:48
So seeing how he behaved.
00:02:50
>> Yeah.
00:02:50
>> What's that for you?
00:02:51
>> It's it's kind of the same, you know,
00:02:53
like um my father was never a person to
00:02:55
to show his emotions too much or tell
00:02:58
you what to do or how to do it. Uh he
00:03:01
would just do it and you would
00:03:03
understand by by by his behavior, by the
00:03:06
way things that uh that was his way of
00:03:10
showing us how he has to be doing. Was
00:03:12
never a person of like hugging, kissing
00:03:14
and stuff. He's got now into that even
00:03:18
when I come out of games and stuff you
00:03:20
see like I I I always get his hug. I
00:03:22
always get the his kiss and this is
00:03:24
something that I as a kid I knew how
00:03:27
much he loved me but uh in in this small
00:03:30
aspects was always my mom giving this
00:03:31
kind of love. He was more uh in the way
00:03:34
of he was showing how things have to be
00:03:36
done how how much you have to sacrifice
00:03:40
yourself to certain things. My dad was
00:03:42
very strong with me in term of like
00:03:45
games.
00:03:46
>> Imagine I could come out of a game
00:03:48
scoring two, three goals or whatsoever
00:03:50
and my parents, my dad in this case will
00:03:53
always pick up the bad moments I had in
00:03:55
games to make me understand that wasn't
00:03:57
that wasn't that was good but wasn't
00:04:00
great. It's always margin to
00:04:02
improvement. You know, it's always small
00:04:03
things. And I think I've learned such
00:04:06
from such a young age to deal with
00:04:08
criticism that I'm now in probably in
00:04:10
one of the biggest clubs in terms of
00:04:12
like caring criticism and attention.
00:04:14
That doesn't hurt me. Like I don't like
00:04:16
it. Obviously, no one likes to get
00:04:18
criticized, but it doesn't hurt me. It
00:04:20
doesn't change the way I behave. It
00:04:22
doesn't
00:04:23
change the way I want to do things. But
00:04:25
from the other side, it makes me
00:04:27
understand there's still things to
00:04:29
improve. And I listen to that and I I I
00:04:31
I look at my game and I see if he's
00:04:34
needed of changing of improvement in my
00:04:36
game. And and my dad was always very
00:04:38
strong in that with me. And I see
00:04:41
nowadays the parents, you know, my dad
00:04:44
never wanted me to be a footballer. He
00:04:46
wanted me to become a better person, a
00:04:48
better player on or a better student.
00:04:51
Everything I wanted I wanted to do, he
00:04:53
just wanted to me to do it at like 100%.
00:04:56
You need you want to do this, you have
00:04:57
to do the best you can. You can't just
00:04:59
be happy with you go to a test and let's
00:05:01
say in Portugal was from zero to 100%.
00:05:04
And you have 98 and you'll be the most
00:05:07
happiest person in the world. No, you
00:05:08
can be happy because that result is
00:05:09
amazing. But you left 2% then that you
00:05:12
still can improve. So you always showing
00:05:14
me that even if it was just a small
00:05:16
thing or a small detail, you still have
00:05:19
something more to do. You still still
00:05:20
have something more that you can improve
00:05:21
or become better. And that's something
00:05:23
that has stuck with me not just in
00:05:25
football but in life. I don't like to do
00:05:27
things 50% 60 70 or 80. Whenever I'm
00:05:31
included in something, I want I want to
00:05:33
go full. I want to learn as much as I
00:05:34
can. I want to be the best version I can
00:05:38
in that aspect, whatever it is.
00:05:40
>> I mean, it's it's really interesting
00:05:42
because I I I wonder to myself how you I
00:05:45
think you started playing football at 5
00:05:46
years old.
00:05:47
>> Yeah, five.
00:05:48
>> And were you good from 5 years old? Were
00:05:51
you were you different from your peers
00:05:52
at a young age? In such a young age, I I
00:05:55
never think about being a footballer. I
00:05:57
just wanted to play football for life.
00:05:58
I'm just happy playing football. I just
00:06:00
want to have this ball in my feet every
00:06:03
time, all time.
00:06:04
>> And you joined uh FC Infesta.
00:06:06
>> Yeah, that was my first club
00:06:07
>> at 5 years old. I mean, I've got some
00:06:08
photos of you as as a young man here.
00:06:11
I've got so many photos here, but you
00:06:14
must be roughly around that age then.
00:06:16
And remarkably, I read that after one
00:06:18
training session, they moved you into
00:06:20
the older group and you played with
00:06:22
people two years older than you when you
00:06:24
were four, five years old.
00:06:26
>> Yeah, I was five playing with a seven
00:06:28
years old.
00:06:28
>> Why did they move you into a different
00:06:29
group?
00:06:30
>> I went for the first session and it was
00:06:32
a football session. Five aside uh but
00:06:34
like an indoor thing. Um
00:06:37
>> and uh after that first session, they
00:06:39
told me that like no, you need to get on
00:06:41
the grass. And then I think it comes
00:06:43
just u you know I looked at the other
00:06:45
players and at the other other people
00:06:47
that were training with me and I didn't
00:06:49
want to be better than them. I just
00:06:51
wanted to like
00:06:54
getting getting at them was the same at
00:06:56
getting at my brother that was five
00:06:57
years old than me. For me it was no
00:06:59
difference. If I have to beat him up I
00:07:01
will beat him up. You know like one v
00:07:02
one I'm going to go past him. I have to
00:07:04
tackle I'm going to tackle him. He's
00:07:06
going to tackle me stronger. It doesn't
00:07:07
matter. I tackle him again. And and I
00:07:08
was I had no fear. And I think that was
00:07:10
the thing that make me become better and
00:07:13
better because I was never the best.
00:07:16
Like technical ability, yes, I was good.
00:07:18
Was the best? No. Speed. Was I quick?
00:07:20
Yeah, I was quite the quick. Was this
00:07:21
the quickest? No. I was the strongest.
00:07:23
No. I was the tallest. No. But I had no
00:07:26
fear of anything of that. I had to
00:07:27
sprint with someone that was quicker
00:07:28
than me. I'm going to sprint with him
00:07:29
and I'm going to I might not beat him,
00:07:31
but I'm going to get close to that. I
00:07:32
actually read that you were so
00:07:34
aggressive that referees sometimes asked
00:07:36
your coach at Infesta Sergio to sub you
00:07:40
off otherwise they'd have to send you
00:07:42
off.
00:07:43
>> Yeah.
00:07:44
>> I mean that kind of correlates with what
00:07:45
you were saying there about fear.
00:07:47
>> Yeah.
00:07:47
>> You were aggressive.
00:07:48
>> I was I that's what I mean. Like I had I
00:07:51
had no fear, you know, like I I wouldn't
00:07:54
look at faces or sizes whatsoever and
00:07:56
think like oh he's bigger than me, you
00:07:58
know, like he's going to he's going to
00:08:00
be stronger than me or whatever. I would
00:08:01
get into any any any ball in any moment
00:08:04
in in in the game with with no fear at
00:08:07
all. And this is probably the best times
00:08:09
in my career between Infesta and Bu
00:08:11
Vista because this one is Infesta. This
00:08:13
one is at Vista when I just I stayed
00:08:16
probably a year at Infesta and Buista
00:08:18
got me straight away. There should be a
00:08:20
button just down below here. And if it
00:08:22
says subscribed, you're already
00:08:24
subscribed. If it says subscriber, that
00:08:27
means you're not yet. And if you're not
00:08:28
subscribed, please could you do us a
00:08:29
favor and hit that button? It helps the
00:08:31
show more than you know. And according
00:08:32
to the algorithm, you're someone that
00:08:34
watches our show, but you haven't yet
00:08:35
hit that button. Thank you so much.
00:08:37
>> And you moved quickly um up and up and
00:08:39
up and up. And that was one of the
00:08:40
remarkable things I noticed when I
00:08:42
looked at you starting playing at 5
00:08:44
years old getting promoted to an older
00:08:46
team and then quickly almost in all the
00:08:49
clubs, you know, up I'm looking at when
00:08:50
you were 17 years old and you left
00:08:52
Portugal and moved to Italy to join
00:08:53
Navara.
00:08:54
>> Yeah.
00:08:54
>> And after three months there, you were
00:08:56
promoted to the first team. Um, and but
00:09:00
then you very quickly joined Udinazi.
00:09:03
>> Yes.
00:09:04
>> And at Udazi, you met a guy called
00:09:05
Franchesco. I can't pronounce his
00:09:07
surname, but Goudellini.
00:09:08
>> Guidelini. Yeah.
00:09:10
>> He was really, really formative in your
00:09:11
career, wasn't he? You were what, 18, 18
00:09:13
years old.
00:09:14
>> 18 years old. Yeah.
00:09:14
>> Why was he such an important part of
00:09:17
your career? What did he teach you or
00:09:18
give you at Udemy?
00:09:20
He was the manager that probably gave me
00:09:22
the basis and the foundation to be
00:09:26
fearless and express myself, you know,
00:09:28
like to get my head out of so many
00:09:31
things that were going on. And as a
00:09:32
young kid that has just made step into
00:09:35
the area and he's like, I need to now is
00:09:40
the moment I need to show myself. But he
00:09:41
was like, you don't you you showed me
00:09:44
that you have the qualities when you
00:09:45
were in second division in Italy. That's
00:09:47
why we bought you. And to be honest, I
00:09:50
was on the edge of coming to Watford on
00:09:52
loan.
00:09:53
>> Watford.
00:09:54
>> Yeah. Because the is the same ownersh
00:09:56
>> and uh we're getting at the edge of the
00:09:59
transfer window. They just bought me and
00:10:02
obviously they had a big squad with a
00:10:03
lot of players and they were like we're
00:10:05
going to send you to Watford. You're
00:10:06
going to you're going to be there
00:10:07
playing for them blah blah. And I was
00:10:09
like what have I done? Like I wasn't I
00:10:11
wasn't good enough. And then in the same
00:10:13
moment they called me to go to the auto
00:10:14
pack my stuff cuz it was like last days
00:10:16
this pack my stuff. I was with with my
00:10:19
girlfriend wife now and she was like uh
00:10:23
don't worry we're going to we're going
00:10:24
to go anywhere else and you're going to
00:10:26
you're going to succeed. And I said but
00:10:28
why can I make it here? Like what what
00:10:30
what was that I did wrong that like the
00:10:32
manager is like not looking at me the
00:10:34
same that is looking to other players
00:10:37
and in my head was like have I done
00:10:39
something wrong? I've not like showed my
00:10:41
full potential. Have I not shown that
00:10:43
I'm good enough to be in this team? And
00:10:45
I don't know why in the middle of all
00:10:47
this thought the sporting director
00:10:49
called me again and says Bruno you can't
00:10:51
go anymore. The manager wants you to
00:10:53
stay. He says he loved you. He loves
00:10:55
your attitude. He wants you to learn
00:10:57
from him. He wants you to understand how
00:11:00
he wants to play and everything. He says
00:11:02
you might not play much this season but
00:11:04
he's pretty sure that you you are the
00:11:05
type of player that will succeed at this
00:11:07
club. And then we had many conversations
00:11:09
and I think when you want a manager for
00:11:12
young players that very quick will play
00:11:16
and will think like oh I'm I'm the guy
00:11:19
now he's going to make you understand
00:11:21
stay calm I got you but you're still not
00:11:24
there. And he was so good for me. He was
00:11:26
like a father figure, you know, like but
00:11:28
not just for me. If you speak with every
00:11:30
player that was there at that time, they
00:11:32
knew they were important for him because
00:11:34
he always showed that. And that's why we
00:11:35
made me so much more complete in terms
00:11:39
of understanding the moments and the
00:11:41
process that managers have to go through
00:11:43
their heads and what they think about
00:11:45
players that is better or whatsoever
00:11:47
that you don't understand. Whenever a
00:11:48
manager puts you on the bench, you just
00:11:49
think doesn't like me. He's he's doing
00:11:52
this because he makes he wants to make
00:11:53
another one play. what but the way he
00:11:56
did it with me and all the players that
00:11:58
were around me at that time we were so
00:12:00
happy that their environment was very
00:12:02
very good
00:12:02
>> as a young man when you're this age
00:12:04
you're 18 years old what are your dreams
00:12:06
and if I'd asked you at the time what
00:12:08
does your future look like what would
00:12:09
you have said to me
00:12:11
>> as soon I I became a professional player
00:12:13
I I was like I want to be on on on the
00:12:16
top clubs I want to play for for the big
00:12:18
clubs I want to be in the Champions
00:12:19
League I want to to play for trophies I
00:12:21
want to become the players I'm looking
00:12:23
at I I want I want to become like them.
00:12:25
>> Did you think you could?
00:12:27
>> Yeah, always. I've never I never doubt.
00:12:30
>> And at 22, you get a call um and you
00:12:33
returned to Portugal and signed a 5-year
00:12:35
deal with Sporting in a deal worth
00:12:37
reportedly 8.5 million. That next
00:12:40
season, you scored 20 goals and added 13
00:12:42
assists, which was unheard unheard of
00:12:45
for a player in your position. And what
00:12:47
I read as well is that Tottenham were
00:12:49
interested in you at that time. Um, and
00:12:52
it was it was at one point highly likely
00:12:54
that you were gonna end up moving to
00:12:56
Tottenham. I'm very glad you didn't as a
00:12:58
Man United fan, but tell me about that.
00:12:59
So, Tottenham call you.
00:13:01
>> Yeah, I spoke with Tottenham and uh we
00:13:04
were very close to get an agreement
00:13:06
done. Um, then in the last two days or
00:13:10
one day of market, the Sporting just
00:13:12
said we we're not going to sell him.
00:13:14
We're going to keep him because we need
00:13:15
him. And
00:13:17
>> you wanted to go to Tottenham?
00:13:18
>> Yes, because I wanted to play in the
00:13:19
Premier League.
00:13:20
>> Why?
00:13:21
because for me is the best league in the
00:13:22
world. He's the most competitive one.
00:13:24
He's the one that I think when you grow
00:13:26
up you dream to play for you know like
00:13:28
full stadiums,
00:13:30
top clubs, top players. Obviously I was
00:13:33
I was lucky enough that my dream club to
00:13:36
play in England was Man United and
00:13:38
obviously
00:13:40
Tottenham at the time was the option I
00:13:42
had and I was very very happy to join
00:13:44
them because they showed me the process
00:13:46
that they were going through. the
00:13:48
manager that was there at the time they
00:13:49
also really wanted me all the new things
00:13:52
the new facilities and everything. So I
00:13:54
was very happy with the with everything
00:13:56
that I could see uh going forward but uh
00:13:59
it didn't happen and for bigger reasons
00:14:01
I I guess and then in January I got I
00:14:04
got the call that uh I was I was hoping
00:14:07
for for uh for two three years already.
00:14:10
>> Tell me about that call
00:14:12
cuz I know Manchester United has has
00:14:14
been you know in your eye for a long
00:14:16
time. I mean you I know you grew up
00:14:18
watching people like Cristiano Ronaldo
00:14:19
play for this club and I think when he I
00:14:22
think when he first played for Portugal
00:14:23
you were you were a young guy. You were
00:14:24
like eight eight or 10 years old or
00:14:25
something and he had been a great star
00:14:27
of Manchester United but but I think
00:14:29
generally people of our age group we
00:14:31
grew up in the heyday of Manchester
00:14:33
United the Alex Ferguson era as well. So
00:14:36
why Manchester United and can you zoom
00:14:38
me in if I'm a fly on the wall when you
00:14:39
get that phone call from your agent I
00:14:42
guess that Manchester United are in I
00:14:43
can see the smile on your face.
00:14:46
I was um let's say I was in my wardrobe.
00:14:49
I was getting getting ready to go to
00:14:51
bed. We just had to my wife was just
00:14:53
putting uh kids to my daughter at that
00:14:55
time. I only had my daughter uh to bed
00:14:58
and I get the call from my agent. Uh I
00:15:00
knew things were going on and
00:15:02
everything, but after what happened with
00:15:04
Tottenham, I didn't want to put my focus
00:15:06
on transfer windows. And I I never did
00:15:08
it in every step of my career that I've
00:15:10
changed club. I always said to my agent
00:15:12
whenever he's like 95% that the club
00:15:16
really wants me and he's ready to make
00:15:17
an offer tell me and then I decide if
00:15:19
it's like the right moment and I want to
00:15:21
go. Apart of that I'm like just keep him
00:15:23
apart. Keep me apart. I don't want to
00:15:24
know it. I don't want like to lose the
00:15:26
focus of what I'm doing to something
00:15:28
that I can't control. And after the
00:15:30
Tottenham thing I was like even more
00:15:32
because obviously I was basically done.
00:15:34
And then all of a sudden last day
00:15:35
Sporting just says like guys oh they
00:15:37
text to them and say like we're not
00:15:39
going to make it. So he called me and he
00:15:41
said, "Brun, so you told me to not speak
00:15:43
to you until we had something like
00:15:46
>> concrete."
00:15:47
>> Concrete, but just so you know, they
00:15:50
also have agreement already everything.
00:15:52
So it's just on your side now to say yes
00:15:55
or no. And I was like like yes or no to
00:15:57
what? And he said, "Come on, you've seen
00:15:59
the news." I said, my agent calls me guy
00:16:01
said, "Miguel, the news are every day
00:16:04
different. Every day they're going to
00:16:06
put a new club that is interested in me.
00:16:07
So I'm not I'm not going to be focused
00:16:08
on that." He said, "Okay, many night is
00:16:11
coming for you. I know I know this is
00:16:13
like what you want. So, just so you
00:16:15
know, this is this is the one that
00:16:16
you've been waiting for. So, it's on you
00:16:19
now to make a decision." And then, uh,
00:16:21
for like 10 20 seconds, I didn't I
00:16:24
didn't said anything. I was I was
00:16:26
crying, but I didn't want to talk
00:16:27
because, you know, like your voice
00:16:28
starts going a little bit chalky. And
00:16:30
then all of a sudden, my my wife gets
00:16:33
into the wardrobe and he says, "I'm
00:16:35
still on the call." And she goes like,
00:16:36
"Why are you crying?" and like him on
00:16:38
the phone say are you crying? I was like
00:16:42
just I turned that off and I was like
00:16:44
Miguel just called me and then in the
00:16:46
moment I'm trying to explain to my wife
00:16:47
what's going on. He's calling me like
00:16:49
repetitively like I need an answer and I
00:16:52
was like and my wife was like why are
00:16:53
you crying so like this is like what you
00:16:56
have dreamed for. like this is this is
00:16:57
the moment you you're waiting for and I
00:16:59
was like oh I don't know it's it's just
00:17:02
too much like I I' I've never expected
00:17:05
after everything that happened with
00:17:06
Tottenham I would have got the chance to
00:17:08
come to the Premier League again and
00:17:10
having the chance to come to the Premier
00:17:11
League with Man United is it's it's like
00:17:15
100% of the dream complete. So obviously
00:17:18
then like uh I just I just call him back
00:17:20
and I said like I don't even want to
00:17:22
know anything else. Just tell them I'm
00:17:24
going. Obviously, I was very good at
00:17:26
sporting and I was very
00:17:28
happy there because I I really enjoyed
00:17:30
my time at sporting because was when I
00:17:32
became
00:17:34
probably the best version of of myself
00:17:36
as a player where I improved so much in
00:17:38
that two years and a half but then was
00:17:40
like the dream of playing for the
00:17:42
Premier League and I think from every
00:17:45
sporting fund they really understood
00:17:46
that was was ready for me to to go and
00:17:50
do the next step. And when you join,
00:17:52
man, I mean, here's the famous photo of
00:17:55
you signing with Manchester United.
00:17:58
>> Yeah,
00:17:59
>> it's funny the the smile that you still
00:18:01
have on your face when you look at these
00:18:02
pictures.
00:18:03
>> Same. Yeah, it's uh because I think when
00:18:05
when you look back, as I said, like
00:18:08
this is the day your dream comes true.
00:18:11
So it's uh it's probably professional
00:18:15
wise I think I put this one and sporting
00:18:19
together because of the importance that
00:18:21
sporting had in my career but obviously
00:18:24
this this was the cherry on on top of
00:18:27
the cake because this is where I wanted
00:18:29
to be. and you joined the club at a time
00:18:31
when the club was in a bit of uh
00:18:33
turmoil, struggling. You know, Sir Alex
00:18:35
Ferguson has left. Um we've cycled
00:18:38
through a bunch of managers and we've
00:18:39
got um Olegosar as the manager at that
00:18:42
point. I think the club was seventh in
00:18:44
the Premier League when you joined. Um
00:18:46
and it was going through a time of
00:18:47
turbulence. You knew that Manchester
00:18:49
United wasn't the most stable club in
00:18:50
the world, but you chose to come here
00:18:52
anyway. And based on your rec record at
00:18:55
sporting, you would have had a lot of
00:18:56
other opportunities to join a club that
00:18:58
was more stable. That was, you know, and
00:19:01
it's interesting because clubs can have
00:19:02
a big impact on a player's future.
00:19:05
Players can have a big impact on a club,
00:19:06
but it also goes the the other way. And
00:19:08
as someone that runs businesses, you
00:19:10
know, the environment you join has a
00:19:12
huge impact on everyone's behavior. No,
00:19:14
no, irrespective of how hard you try.
00:19:17
You chose to join a club that was at the
00:19:19
time unstable.
00:19:22
Look, the the game I looked before I
00:19:24
came here was I think Burnley, United
00:19:28
Burnley and United loses at home 2-1. I
00:19:32
don't remember exactly but I know I know
00:19:34
they've lost that game and it was just
00:19:36
like days before I came and I was like
00:19:40
I I still think there is there's a lot
00:19:42
of potential in that team and a part of
00:19:45
having potential that team. I'm joining
00:19:47
one of the biggest clubs in the world
00:19:48
and I know that clubs go through periods
00:19:52
where things don't go the way they want
00:19:54
but sometimes it's not just because
00:19:56
they're not great. It's just because
00:19:58
other teams are being better than them.
00:19:59
And that's that's fine because in
00:20:01
football you're not going to win all the
00:20:02
time. But the thing you can do is like
00:20:05
you can bring your own values, your own
00:20:08
experience, your own qualities and
00:20:11
trying to help everyone else around you
00:20:12
to become better to become the team you
00:20:16
want to see. And I think at that time
00:20:18
that period of then we had the co time
00:20:21
and all the stuff but that period from
00:20:23
there to the end of the season the team
00:20:25
was unbelievable. and the season after
00:20:27
we got second place and because we
00:20:29
struggled in certain moments of keeping
00:20:31
keeping up to to the standard of city
00:20:33
that had a very good end of season but
00:20:36
for me was like I wasn't like I I'll fix
00:20:40
that. I was like I'm going to be the the
00:20:43
magic magic powder that's going to solve
00:20:45
all the problems. But I really knew that
00:20:48
this club had something special and for
00:20:50
me to join it was was like I can be part
00:20:54
of something that is going to become
00:20:56
great again and I still believe that and
00:20:57
obviously it can take time it's taking
00:20:59
more time than I thought. Yes, of
00:21:01
course. But at that time I had too many
00:21:03
dreams in my head and uh they still are
00:21:06
here and still a lot of things that I
00:21:08
want to achieve. But this smile and this
00:21:11
guy that came here in 2020 is is is
00:21:13
still is still is still the same guy
00:21:15
that wants to to win and succeed at this
00:21:17
club. I'm wondering, you know, because
00:21:19
there's been so much said about the
00:21:20
environment at Manchester United over
00:21:22
the years. I I know a little bit about
00:21:24
the environment when Sir Alex Ferguson
00:21:25
was here because I interviewed a lot of
00:21:27
his players and having been to
00:21:28
Carrington before and uh actually going
00:21:31
to the grounds and actually sitting in
00:21:32
the hospitality lounge and waitresses
00:21:34
coming over to me and talking about when
00:21:35
Sir Alex Ferguson was here and how he
00:21:38
knew everyone's name and then how it
00:21:40
changed. I it was really interesting to
00:21:42
me to get a lot of this feedback because
00:21:45
it highlighted how small things in
00:21:47
culture can have a big impact right down
00:21:50
to the the way players play. And there's
00:21:51
always a story that Gary Neville told me
00:21:53
about with Wendy and her charity balls.
00:21:55
He told me a story of players walking
00:21:56
past Wendy who got the charity ball
00:21:58
signed for a local charity and one day a
00:22:01
couple of them didn't sign it and Sir
00:22:03
Alex Ferguson came downstairs and he
00:22:05
quote [ __ ] killed us. And it's it's a
00:22:08
strange thing to do like to care that
00:22:10
much about a small detail in culture,
00:22:12
but over time Gary told me he he
00:22:14
understands why Sir Alex Ferguson cared
00:22:16
so much. So my question to you is really
00:22:18
about the cultural evolution at this
00:22:19
club and what the fans are desperate to
00:22:22
know about like how it's changed and how
00:22:23
it feels different from the time you
00:22:25
arrived in 2018 up until today. I've
00:22:29
brought in my behavior, my the way I've
00:22:33
been raised and all these things. And I
00:22:35
think every different player has brought
00:22:37
different things to the to the club. But
00:22:39
I think one of the things that has to be
00:22:41
always there is the respect for people.
00:22:43
And I think that says for me is a
00:22:45
non-negotiable thing. Like if any player
00:22:49
comes to this club and he doesn't
00:22:50
respect the physios, the pe the
00:22:53
stewards, the people that are in all the
00:22:56
desks we have here, the people that work
00:22:58
for us in the restaurant, the chefs and
00:23:00
all these people that are around us
00:23:03
taking care of us. Even if you don't see
00:23:04
it or if you don't think it or whatever
00:23:07
is for me is a non-negotiable thing that
00:23:10
the respect has to be always there. And
00:23:12
more than respect, the care you need to
00:23:14
care about them because if you have a
00:23:17
good foundation, a good base of respect
00:23:18
and and care in in your club, it's going
00:23:21
to get better. The environment gets
00:23:23
better. Everything is more positive
00:23:25
because I think and and this is probably
00:23:27
the way I've been raised. I treat
00:23:29
everyone in the same way. I don't treat
00:23:31
the players in a way that I don't treat
00:23:33
the clean lady or the people that are in
00:23:36
the front desk or the people that the
00:23:38
stewards and at the entrance. You know,
00:23:39
if I say good morning to these ones, I
00:23:41
say good morning to this ones. I don't
00:23:42
change that. If I give an shake to this
00:23:44
ones, I give an shake to this one. If I
00:23:46
greet them as I'm greeting my teammates,
00:23:48
they will feel part of it. They will
00:23:50
feel involved. They will feel as
00:23:51
important as them. Even knowing that the
00:23:54
role of them is completely different of
00:23:55
the other ones because the the role of a
00:23:58
CEO is one thing. But if the cleaner
00:24:01
doesn't clean everything nice and leaves
00:24:03
everything prepared and well well done
00:24:04
and everything, you will notice that
00:24:06
something is wrong. You will notice that
00:24:08
this is not the place where you want to
00:24:10
work for. You do you notice that you
00:24:12
don't want to be the CEO of a company
00:24:13
that has trash everywhere.
00:24:15
>> Yeah.
00:24:16
>> And so why wouldn't you greet the person
00:24:19
that takes care of you, takes care of
00:24:20
your place to look so good and to make
00:24:22
an impact when people come in from the
00:24:24
outside?
00:24:25
>> It reminds me of something actually
00:24:26
Johnny IV said. So Johnny IV is the
00:24:28
famous Apple designer that designed all
00:24:30
the Apple products that we know and
00:24:31
love. And he said um it's very hard to
00:24:34
feel care. He goes but everyone can feel
00:24:36
when someone didn't care. You go to a
00:24:38
restaurant and they didn't care. Small
00:24:40
things. He goes but it's like he said um
00:24:42
care is just this thing in the
00:24:44
background this ambient feeling you have
00:24:46
when you arrive somewhere but you can't
00:24:48
you can't like point out exactly what it
00:24:50
is but you can feel it.
00:24:52
>> That's the thing. I think it's more that
00:24:54
you feel it but you don't see it. And I
00:24:56
think touching this point I was I was
00:24:58
talking about cleaners. My mom was a she
00:25:00
was cleaning houses for work. So I never
00:25:04
wanted the people that were cleaning the
00:25:06
house to treat my mom badly or let's say
00:25:09
downgrade the work she's doing for them
00:25:11
because for example now I have a person
00:25:13
that works in my house. I don't allow my
00:25:16
kids to talk badly to her. I don't allow
00:25:18
my kids to say grab that and put it in
00:25:20
place. And I said it to her in the first
00:25:22
day she came to work and I said if
00:25:24
something is not in the in the right
00:25:25
place obviously I want you to clean. I
00:25:28
want you to put things in place. I want
00:25:30
all of this. But I don't want my kids to
00:25:32
tell you oh that uh arrange that or put
00:25:36
this in place. No. If they want
00:25:38
something they can ask you but first of
00:25:40
all they need to be respectful. If they
00:25:42
can't make it they have to ask you but
00:25:44
in the respect way. But if it's
00:25:46
something that they can make you have to
00:25:48
make them make it. Not like, oh, you do
00:25:51
it. No, just explain them how to do it.
00:25:54
Show them the way so they learn with it.
00:25:56
And this probably the way I behave with
00:25:58
the people that work with me. It comes a
00:26:00
lot because of my background of not like
00:26:02
it to see my mom because I was not in
00:26:05
the houses. Obviously, I don't know if
00:26:06
they treated well or not. My mom never
00:26:08
said to me that any of the people that
00:26:10
she work for were bad bad to her or
00:26:13
treat her in a in a bad way. So I really
00:26:16
think that that made me understand that
00:26:18
because I I don't want that for my mom,
00:26:20
I won't make that to other people.
00:26:23
>> I've been a Man United fan since I was a
00:26:24
kid. So like my siblings were born in
00:26:26
Manchester. I was saying to you before I
00:26:27
was born in um in Botswana in Africa,
00:26:30
but because I've got two older brothers
00:26:31
who are Man United fans, I very quickly
00:26:33
became a Manchester United fan. I
00:26:34
remember like 3 four years old and then
00:26:36
as soon as I could when I was 18, I
00:26:37
moved up from the southwest to
00:26:38
Manchester at 18 years old and I lived
00:26:41
here and went to my first Manchester
00:26:43
United games. I've seen the club go on
00:26:45
this incredible journey um from you know
00:26:48
Sorax Ferguson's era to this sort of
00:26:50
period of transition to where we are now
00:26:51
and it's my observation my honest
00:26:53
observation that after in the post
00:26:55
Fergie era the club made some bad
00:26:59
decisions as it relates to recruitment
00:27:00
and culture. Um people often talk about
00:27:03
um Edwards I'm not going to I'm not
00:27:05
going to try and stitch you up in any
00:27:06
way or get you to talk about anything in
00:27:07
particular. I'm just expressing my
00:27:08
opinion. They talk about Ed Woodward's
00:27:10
uh strategy towards signing players and
00:27:12
it being a bit flippant and then you
00:27:14
look at the sort of group of lads that
00:27:16
we had and just as a United fan watching
00:27:17
on the pitch, I felt the culture was a
00:27:20
bit confused because it didn't seem like
00:27:23
it seems now where it seems like there's
00:27:25
this really strong central agreement
00:27:27
around the values. It felt a bit I don't
00:27:31
know a bit like we had signed players
00:27:33
because they were famous or big but not
00:27:36
because they fit. And I feel when I look
00:27:38
at the club now, I go, "Oh, these guys
00:27:40
kind of fit." And whoever's doing
00:27:41
recruiting is thinking about character.
00:27:44
It feels to me like there's been this
00:27:47
process over the last couple of years of
00:27:49
getting rid of the wrong character
00:27:50
profiles. And I think Amaran really
00:27:52
spoke to this. He really talked about
00:27:54
getting rid of the players that didn't
00:27:56
have the right character profile. Just
00:27:58
to add one more line to this. I've
00:27:59
spoken to a lot of players at the club
00:28:00
in past and present and they expressed
00:28:02
the same to me as well that there was an
00:28:04
issue with sort of character profile
00:28:06
that has now been solved for. I think
00:28:10
the main mistake that the club has done
00:28:12
through the years that we've changed
00:28:14
manager to manager, they were very
00:28:16
different and that's already a bad sign
00:28:19
not of recruitment because then you
00:28:22
bring in players that fit that manager.
00:28:24
Mhm.
00:28:25
>> But the next one you brought plays a
00:28:27
completely different way and the three
00:28:29
or four or five that you bought don't
00:28:31
fit this one anymore. And then you have
00:28:33
to buy another four or five
00:28:35
>> and then the constantly change of
00:28:38
strategy in in in the club or in the way
00:28:41
we wanted to play or whatsoever was not
00:28:43
was not the best because then obviously
00:28:46
it becomes that the players don't suit
00:28:48
anymore. The system is not even more the
00:28:49
character than it comes up but it's more
00:28:51
the system. Then obviously we can talk
00:28:53
about character that players that were
00:28:55
certain players that were not a perfect
00:28:58
fit for the club but you never know it
00:28:59
until you bring it to the club. I think
00:29:01
sometimes you can see it and I think is
00:29:03
there players that I think the club by
00:29:05
the behavior they have on the pitch or
00:29:07
the behavior they have on on social
00:29:08
media whatsoever you can see if they
00:29:10
will be a fit for the club or not. And I
00:29:12
think the main thing for the club as you
00:29:14
said there you need to bring good
00:29:16
characters because that will be more
00:29:18
important to build something that good
00:29:20
qualities because good qualities they
00:29:21
all they will have. You don't bring a
00:29:24
player to Man United that doesn't have
00:29:25
qualities. But if you can add the
00:29:27
qualities to the character, that's a
00:29:29
win-win because the qualities will be
00:29:31
moment that the quality won't be as good
00:29:34
as you want because players go through
00:29:36
periods that sometimes they play very
00:29:37
good, sometimes they play very bad, but
00:29:39
the character remains the same. And
00:29:42
that's the character you want where they
00:29:43
are on a low to be the right character
00:29:46
to push himself to be on a high or at
00:29:48
the same time when they are on the low
00:29:50
to be the right character to push the
00:29:51
other ones to be at at the top level.
00:29:54
And I think that's the main thing that
00:29:56
the club has to do in terms of
00:29:57
recruitment and everything is bringing
00:29:59
people first of all that want to be a
00:30:01
Man United to play for Man United, not
00:30:03
to be a Man United just because it's a
00:30:05
big club. They want to be here because
00:30:08
this is the club they think and they
00:30:09
really understand that they want to
00:30:11
succeed with this club. They want to
00:30:13
bring this club back to the days we were
00:30:15
used to see Man United. I know it's been
00:30:17
12, 13 years. I know, but we want that
00:30:20
to get as short as possible to become
00:30:22
that club that won 20 Premier League
00:30:24
titles and is joined the most in the
00:30:26
Premier League.
00:30:26
>> Mhm.
00:30:27
>> So character in a football club is more
00:30:30
important than the quality because the
00:30:31
quality you always going to get it and
00:30:33
you can improve it. This is what I heard
00:30:35
from Patrice Ever. I remember him
00:30:37
telling me that he met Sir Alex Ferguson
00:30:38
in in an airport, I think in France, and
00:30:41
Sir Alex Ferguson sat him down and said,
00:30:43
"Are you willing to die for Manchester
00:30:44
United?" And he said, "Yes." And so he
00:30:47
shook his hand. He said, "Welcome to
00:30:48
Manchester United." And that's a
00:30:49
different way of recruiting. He's not
00:30:51
testing if he can kick a ball well. He's
00:30:52
testing if he's got the heart and that
00:30:54
mentality that I think Fergie and
00:30:58
previous sort of cohorts of Manchester
00:31:00
United really really cared about. I
00:31:02
think Sir Alex obviously he's done
00:31:04
mistakes in recruitment too because
00:31:05
obviously not every player was great but
00:31:08
he always brings players in any time and
00:31:10
any moment they would fit the club and
00:31:12
that's the main thing I think in terms
00:31:14
of recruitment but this is like
00:31:16
something that is not for me to get
00:31:17
involved but I will say it I understand
00:31:20
the club has different manager coming in
00:31:22
comes in and different ways of playing
00:31:24
and whatsoever but the recruitment has
00:31:26
to be for many United because the player
00:31:28
will get normally a 5 years contract and
00:31:31
the manager will get two and you know
00:31:33
that if he's not something is not
00:31:34
working the club always gets rid of the
00:31:36
manager first then he gets rid of the
00:31:38
player because it's much more difficult.
00:31:40
So I think you always have to bring
00:31:42
players that fit the club and then you
00:31:44
bring managers that fit the club and the
00:31:47
players you've got
00:31:48
>> and I think that says to be the the the
00:31:50
thing that for example let's talk about
00:31:53
club and pep why they were so successful
00:31:55
because they chose the players in
00:31:58
togetherness with the club that will fit
00:32:00
the club the system and the way they
00:32:03
wanted to play
00:32:04
>> and through the years have done mistakes
00:32:06
of course have they bought players that
00:32:07
didn't work yes but I think we're more
00:32:09
the ones that worked than the ones that
00:32:11
didn't. And the ones that didn't work, I
00:32:14
haven't seen many of them coming out and
00:32:15
talking bad about the club or about the
00:32:17
manager whatsoever. Yeah, it's difficult
00:32:19
to be there and a club buy you for 50,
00:32:21
60, 70 million and then you don't play
00:32:23
when you thought, oh, oh, I'm going to
00:32:25
play because they paying this amount of
00:32:26
money for me. I'm going to play. Then
00:32:27
you get there, you don't play. Of
00:32:29
course, it's difficult. But what I've
00:32:30
seen is that they built in a way that
00:32:33
the squad was strong enough to take care
00:32:35
of those players that were not playing
00:32:37
and were struggling. One of the things
00:32:38
I've noticed as a change, especially
00:32:40
this season, is all this social media
00:32:44
distraction. People posting on their
00:32:45
Instagram stories when they don't play
00:32:47
their brother's sister posting my
00:32:49
brother should be playing whatever. All
00:32:51
of this sort of like social media
00:32:54
stuff that some players were doing over
00:32:56
the last couple of years seems to have
00:32:57
vanished. And this is just an
00:32:59
interesting, you know, we talk about
00:33:01
small things being interesting signals.
00:33:03
It's one of the things I've noticed this
00:33:04
year there isn't social media nonsense
00:33:08
going on. How like I guess my question
00:33:12
is is that something the club has done?
00:33:14
Has there been have they sat you down
00:33:16
and said stop the social media stuff or
00:33:17
is it just a consequence of getting the
00:33:19
right people together?
00:33:21
I think it's a little bit both, but at
00:33:22
the same time, I think the club has to
00:33:24
be the one being strong with the
00:33:25
players. When they see something that is
00:33:27
not right or they don't like it or it's
00:33:28
not good on the players, on on the team,
00:33:31
on the attention this club gets. I think
00:33:34
the the club needs to talk with them and
00:33:37
with the agents with the families
00:33:39
whatsoever that speaks out and says
00:33:41
something because I think it's also on
00:33:43
the players to make the families and u
00:33:47
everyone that is behind them understand
00:33:49
that what they put out or what they say
00:33:51
can have consequences on our careers.
00:33:53
>> Do you do you talk to the players about
00:33:55
this? I've if if I see something that I
00:33:57
don't like or if I see them posting or
00:33:59
replying to some people on social
00:34:00
whatsoever because for example from such
00:34:02
a young age I've said to my parents I've
00:34:05
said to my brother I've said to my
00:34:06
sister I don't want you talking without
00:34:08
my like without me knowing it not
00:34:11
because they don't know how to talk or
00:34:13
whatever but they not aware what can be
00:34:15
bad or wrong they they might think they
00:34:18
will going to say something that is
00:34:20
going to be good for me but maybe has
00:34:22
repercussions on other people and I
00:34:23
don't want them to do that So my parents
00:34:26
never spoke, my brother never spoke, my
00:34:28
sister never spoke when I wasn't
00:34:29
playing. Let people make noise, let
00:34:31
people talk. Doesn't matter what they
00:34:32
say. I know for my mom, for example, she
00:34:35
suffers a lot with this. And I say,
00:34:37
"Take it in. Don't care. Pray pray at
00:34:41
your saints like you did to me all the
00:34:43
time and and make sure they do the right
00:34:45
thing for me because that's that's what
00:34:47
matters." And she she kind kind of like
00:34:49
gets okay with that. Obviously I know
00:34:51
that probably when my brother sees
00:34:53
something or my sister they want to
00:34:55
reply to something they want to say it's
00:34:56
not true why why you talking about this
00:34:58
or my my brother whatever I don't want
00:35:00
them to get involved in that because not
00:35:01
going to be good for them
00:35:03
>> not going to be good for me and it's not
00:35:04
going to be good for my environment then
00:35:05
I don't want that but I think that is
00:35:07
because I was strong with my family in
00:35:09
the in the first moment and I think
00:35:10
that's who we have to be I don't go home
00:35:13
to my family and saying like you know
00:35:15
this manager this this manager that I
00:35:18
might say what I like or I don't like
00:35:20
whatever but I don't go in a way of
00:35:21
like, oh, if I had someone that could
00:35:24
put something out because I've been
00:35:26
doing this, I I don't care like to
00:35:28
people to put out, oh, Bruno is training
00:35:30
so well, Bruno is doing this, Bruno is
00:35:32
doing that. I know I'm doing it. That's
00:35:35
enough for me.
00:35:37
>> And it's true because, you know, you've
00:35:38
been through this this process of
00:35:40
transition with Ollie, then Carrick,
00:35:42
then Raph, then Eric, then Reuben, then
00:35:44
Fletcher, then Carrick again. And
00:35:46
actually, one of the remarkable things
00:35:48
is I've never noticed
00:35:51
your attitude towards the managers be
00:35:54
any different. I can't tell. I can't
00:35:56
tell. As far as I'm aware, you support
00:35:58
them all. And that's how it should be. I
00:36:01
think if you've got a problem, I think
00:36:02
as you know, player, you should go tell
00:36:04
them. But we shouldn't know
00:36:07
and well, we don't know. With you, I
00:36:09
don't know what you think of them.
00:36:10
>> I agree with that. First of all, I like
00:36:13
every manager that comes in my way
00:36:14
because I learn with them. And every
00:36:16
manager that comes in has their own
00:36:18
idea, has their own thinking, has their
00:36:21
own way of playing. And they want me to
00:36:23
do one thing, the other one another
00:36:25
thing, the other one another thing. And
00:36:26
for me, that's good because they believe
00:36:28
that I'm capable of doing different
00:36:30
things that I was doing before. So, what
00:36:33
I won't give to the managers is the
00:36:36
choice or the option in their head to
00:36:38
think I'm not going to play Bruno. What
00:36:40
do you do when you're not happy about
00:36:42
something though as the captain? Do you
00:36:43
go have a chat with them?
00:36:45
>> No, I do whatever they want me to do. If
00:36:47
they think is the best thing for the
00:36:48
team, I'm going to do it. Either I agree
00:36:51
or not, believe it more or not. I make
00:36:53
myself
00:36:55
available for what they want to do.
00:36:57
100%. If then it works or not, that's on
00:37:00
them to to decide to decide that if it
00:37:04
needs to be changed or not. I'm not
00:37:05
going to go to the manager and ask them
00:37:07
to change formation, the way they play.
00:37:10
If they ask me, I give my opinion. If
00:37:13
they don't ask me, I don't say anything.
00:37:15
>> What have you learned about what a good
00:37:16
manager does and how to be a good
00:37:18
manager from the six managers you've
00:37:21
had?
00:37:23
>> For me, look, through my career, I've
00:37:25
always heard that, you know, like
00:37:26
certain players should be treated in a
00:37:28
different way than other players. I
00:37:31
don't believe in that. It's like the
00:37:32
same as having a business. you buy
00:37:35
certain people to do certain things
00:37:36
because you believe they the right
00:37:38
person to do that. So I don't think that
00:37:43
you then should change the way you
00:37:45
behave with them. You should probably
00:37:48
approach them in different ways. I
00:37:51
believe in that because I'm not the same
00:37:53
as you.
00:37:53
>> Yeah.
00:37:54
>> So do you treat players differently on
00:37:55
the pitch because you're you know you
00:37:57
shout at lots of your teammates. Are
00:37:59
there some that you won't shout at as
00:38:01
much? I treat I treat all of them the
00:38:03
same and I think they kind of getting to
00:38:06
know exactly why I do it everything that
00:38:08
we train in imagine let's see during the
00:38:11
week we train this and we have seen
00:38:12
images of this we know what we have to
00:38:14
do the menace has prepared for us for
00:38:16
that I demand that at least I don't I
00:38:21
don't care who you are we've been a full
00:38:23
week preparing the training the game for
00:38:24
this this we need to know how to do it
00:38:27
then if you can make a pass or you can
00:38:29
make a goal or you can make a tackle
00:38:31
That's different. That's the qualities I
00:38:33
need from each one individually. But
00:38:37
I've learned to talk with them in
00:38:39
different ways, but
00:38:42
with the same end result. Not like I
00:38:45
won't like go to one and say like being
00:38:48
scared of saying things to him
00:38:50
>> and the other one like because he's
00:38:51
younger whatsoever, I'm going to like
00:38:52
shout at him whatsoever. No. If I have
00:38:54
to shout at this one, I'll shout this
00:38:55
one. If I have to shout at this one,
00:38:57
I'll shout this one. If I have to praise
00:38:59
this one, I'll praise this one in the
00:39:01
same way I praise this one. And I think
00:39:02
that you can see in my interviews. I'm
00:39:04
not afraid of saying what I feel. At the
00:39:07
same time, I'm not afraid of praising
00:39:08
players for what they have done or what
00:39:10
they're doing. Even if they probably in
00:39:13
the moment they haven't done as much as
00:39:16
they needed to get the praise.
00:39:18
>> But for me, I think he needs that praise
00:39:21
to get into the next level. So, I'm
00:39:23
going to give him something. But I make
00:39:25
him aware. I've gave you something but
00:39:27
I'm expecting something more more from
00:39:29
you. It's like my dad giving me like you
00:39:33
need to be better, you need to do more
00:39:35
because he knows I'm capable of more.
00:39:37
And this is why I demand from the
00:39:38
players. I demand I'm I'm I'm very
00:39:40
strong on them because I I really
00:39:43
believe in them. I have said this so
00:39:45
many times to so many different players
00:39:46
is like trust me the day I stop talking
00:39:48
to you, the day I start shouting I stop
00:39:51
shouting at you is because I don't
00:39:52
believe in you anymore and I don't
00:39:54
believe you can improve anymore. your
00:39:56
time at Manchester United has been a bit
00:39:57
of a roller coaster like this kind of
00:39:58
like up and down and up and down. You
00:40:00
went second and then you dropped down
00:40:01
the league you're second and uh I mean
00:40:03
the last two years have been a prime
00:40:04
example of that finishing near the near
00:40:05
the bottom end of the table and then
00:40:07
this year back up to third. I'm
00:40:09
wondering as a fan when things get bad
00:40:12
and you hear all these sort of rumors
00:40:13
breaking online that the manager is
00:40:15
going to be sacked. Does that impact the
00:40:18
dressing room? Like do you guys in the
00:40:19
dressing room because you've been
00:40:21
through it so many times where a manager
00:40:23
has been removed? Do how what's that
00:40:25
like when you know things are going bad?
00:40:29
No, first of all, you feel it for the
00:40:30
manager is is the first thing because I
00:40:33
think obviously certain players will
00:40:35
feel it more than others because it's
00:40:37
that players that play more than others
00:40:38
and they obviously the ones that
00:40:40
probably don't play,
00:40:41
>> they don't like to see managers going,
00:40:43
but at the same time, if a new manager
00:40:45
comes in is a new opportunity for them
00:40:47
to probably get into the team more times
00:40:49
they were getting before.
00:40:50
>> And I think going through the process of
00:40:51
changing money is probably the worst
00:40:53
thing in in in sports because
00:40:56
it's starting from zero again. And
00:40:58
either either people believe it or not
00:41:00
when you're through a process you want
00:41:02
to get to the end of the process and
00:41:04
understanding what's what that has gave
00:41:06
to you as a player and what you can do
00:41:09
more with that staff with that team uh
00:41:12
and with that manager to go even further
00:41:14
more.
00:41:14
>> Why didn't you lose hope because you
00:41:16
went through that process of starting
00:41:18
from zero making progress manager goes
00:41:21
back to zero making progress manager
00:41:23
goes back to zero.
00:41:24
>> You know why? Because every time I've
00:41:26
spoke this with yoga before, every time
00:41:29
you come for preseason is like a new
00:41:33
start and you always get that belief of
00:41:35
like this is going to be the this is
00:41:37
going to be the time. This is going to
00:41:38
be the time is moments through the
00:41:40
season that you you get this belief that
00:41:42
things are not going well.
00:41:45
But the main thing I have is belief in
00:41:46
myself. So I always think if I do things
00:41:50
right and I take people to do things
00:41:52
right and I help them to do things right
00:41:55
as a team we still have a chance of
00:41:58
pushing ourself into positions we want
00:42:00
to be and this let's say this season has
00:42:02
been that case because we strug we
00:42:05
struggle obviously we didn't change
00:42:06
manager because of results because we
00:42:08
were two points behind second place and
00:42:11
like five points behind first place we
00:42:14
were same points till I think from third
00:42:18
to seventh place was everyone with the
00:42:20
same points something like that. So we
00:42:22
were we wore there was something
00:42:24
different with this with the club that
00:42:26
they felt that the the trust between
00:42:28
them was was broke or whatsoever and
00:42:30
they kind of decided to start a new
00:42:34
process and that was bad because for us
00:42:38
when Reuben came what was passed from
00:42:40
the club is like this is going to be a
00:42:41
process but we're going to go through
00:42:43
this going to be good and bad times but
00:42:45
we're going to go through this obviously
00:42:47
then the club decided that it was time
00:42:49
to part ways and you started from zero
00:42:50
for from with Michael
00:42:53
but then
00:42:55
you've got results and you went to the
00:42:57
end of the season and you finished third
00:42:59
and you finish what doing probably in
00:43:02
the time Michael was here till the end
00:43:03
of the season till till now is we
00:43:05
probably the team that has made more
00:43:06
points.
00:43:07
>> What did Michael change? I think in in
00:43:09
the first moment what what what Michael
00:43:11
tried to do is like to give stability to
00:43:13
the team because as every manager
00:43:15
understands when you come in after a
00:43:18
break, you understand that you need to
00:43:21
give stability and peace of mind to the
00:43:24
players to get back to the level he
00:43:28
thought we could have. and he brought
00:43:30
the foundation and the base that has
00:43:32
been in this club uh from the time he
00:43:35
played till the time he managed and then
00:43:38
he left. So he knows he knows the club
00:43:41
he knows how the club wants to play and
00:43:43
he knows what the fans want to see.
00:43:45
>> How is he different like what's what
00:43:47
tactically or from a character
00:43:49
perspective what does Michael bring as a
00:43:52
manager? I know as you know just an hour
00:43:53
ago or so it was announced that he's
00:43:55
going to be the Manchester United
00:43:56
manager going forward. Um, which is
00:43:58
great news. Um, but what what is if you
00:44:01
had to describe him to me as a leader
00:44:03
and a manager, what how is he different?
00:44:05
>> I think he's a very he gives you a a lot
00:44:08
of calmness, you know, in terms of uh
00:44:11
why he wants from the team, the way he
00:44:12
demands, the way he coaches. Um, he
00:44:15
gives you he gives you a good way of
00:44:17
going to the game with with a good peace
00:44:18
of mind but with a lot of responsibility
00:44:21
because I think from the time he was
00:44:24
here with Salex, he gave a lot of
00:44:26
responsibility to the players to make
00:44:27
decisions and to make choices on the
00:44:29
pitch that have to be on you. He gives
00:44:32
you the base. He gives you the
00:44:33
foundation. He gives you certain rules
00:44:36
that is like the non-negotiable ones.
00:44:38
But then he also knows and he wants us
00:44:41
to take some responsibility through the
00:44:42
game that things might change because
00:44:44
you prepare a game full week obviously.
00:44:46
But then the team could come and uh do a
00:44:48
different thing like you prepare to play
00:44:50
against a 4-33 because they always
00:44:51
played 4-33 and then they come and they
00:44:53
play 352 and then you go like oh and now
00:44:56
the manager come be on the sideline
00:44:58
telling you where to press, where to go.
00:45:00
So as a as a players have the
00:45:02
foundation, have the base, have the
00:45:04
rules, non-negotiables and from there on
00:45:06
we need to find a way of like okay let's
00:45:09
imagine we compress because they've
00:45:11
changed everything and the press we
00:45:12
prepared was not was not the one we
00:45:14
needed. Let's get compact let's get
00:45:16
together. They don't get into our block
00:45:18
when we have the ball we play with the
00:45:19
ball. we get into the off time and then
00:45:21
the manager will give us the message
00:45:23
that he wants to give or whatever he has
00:45:24
seen that we need to do differently in a
00:45:26
way of getting a better result from the
00:45:28
from the pressure and I think that's
00:45:30
what he gave to us the calmness and the
00:45:33
way he prepares games was very good but
00:45:35
when things were not going in the way we
00:45:37
wanted he gave responsibility to the
00:45:39
players to like make it work then we
00:45:42
solve it
00:45:43
>> ah so like a bit of freedom to
00:45:45
>> it's not exactly freedom because freedom
00:45:48
is a different thing He gives you
00:45:50
freedom with the ball to make decisions
00:45:52
because he says that's your
00:45:54
responsibility on the ball. I can't tell
00:45:55
you where to pass the ball. I can't tell
00:45:56
you where to shoot. I can help you where
00:45:59
the space is going to be. And I think
00:46:00
that the most important thing for a
00:46:01
player is knowing where space is going
00:46:03
to be. You need to know where spaces are
00:46:06
to then play with it. You know that they
00:46:08
have big gaps there that we can hurt
00:46:10
them from there. And this is the message
00:46:12
that Michael has passed to the team.
00:46:13
It's like if we attack from here, they
00:46:15
have less people on this side. we can
00:46:17
bring more people in the box from this
00:46:19
side. We want a very good counter press
00:46:21
because they have two strikers. So we
00:46:22
need to have three people in the back.
00:46:25
Two of them mark, one of them stays
00:46:26
behind. So this is the small things and
00:46:28
the foundation that he give to us. But
00:46:30
then he says many times, I can't tell
00:46:32
you where to pass. I can't tell you
00:46:33
where to shoot. I give you the solutions
00:46:36
but might not be there. So you have to
00:46:38
find a way of making the good pass, the
00:46:40
good shot, the good decision because I'm
00:46:42
not going to be in your head in that
00:46:44
moment. in their head it's going to be
00:46:46
the ideas I gave you and some of them
00:46:48
will be good some of them won't won't
00:46:50
work out so you have to make a way of
00:46:52
like understand the good ones I gave you
00:46:54
and the other ones that are not working
00:46:56
well you need to find a way of make it
00:46:58
work
00:46:58
>> so it's more just he gives you the
00:47:00
principles uh instead of specific
00:47:03
instructions on how to play and what to
00:47:05
do
00:47:07
>> kind of gives you but then he lets you
00:47:09
balance through the game
00:47:10
>> okay
00:47:10
>> he lets let's say he lets the players
00:47:14
read the
00:47:15
Because
00:47:16
in 90 minutes many things happen and not
00:47:19
going to always happen what you see in
00:47:20
the video. Hopefully yes but not always.
00:47:24
For example, let's say we had the chance
00:47:27
against um Nottingham Forest that I
00:47:30
passed the ball through Brian and he
00:47:32
scores. We have seen the same chance
00:47:35
from Villa against Forest. The exact
00:47:37
same chance, exact same movements, exact
00:47:40
same passes. And we've seen that. We
00:47:42
visualized that and that's why that
00:47:44
works because we had the ideas. We knew
00:47:47
we could make that happen and we made
00:47:49
it.
00:47:51
>> Does he get angry cuz he seems like such
00:47:53
a calm guy when you see him in press
00:47:54
conferences. He's very calm and very you
00:47:56
know.
00:47:56
>> Yeah, he did. He did he did got angry
00:47:58
one once or twice but he's very calm in
00:48:00
the way he speaks. But I think I think
00:48:03
everyone gets hungry anyway. But u he's
00:48:06
a very calm presence and he's is someone
00:48:08
that speaks very well knows the timing
00:48:11
the words he knows what to say. Um and
00:48:15
whenever he got when he let's get let's
00:48:17
say more aggressive within us was was
00:48:20
the time that we needed to to get that
00:48:22
from him. And the way that you play is
00:48:24
interesting because it when I was
00:48:25
looking at um a bunch of your quotes
00:48:27
over time, but also how I think about
00:48:29
business. You are a player that takes
00:48:31
more risks than most people. And we talk
00:48:33
a lot about failure in business and how
00:48:35
you have to increase your rate of
00:48:36
failure to to to get better outcomes.
00:48:38
But you're a player that is not shy of
00:48:40
taking a risk. And you play in a way
00:48:43
where you you sometimes lose the ball,
00:48:44
but you also, as we've seen this year
00:48:46
and in many other years, you often are
00:48:48
generating more opportunities than any
00:48:50
other player on the pitch. How do you
00:48:52
think about this? Because the way you
00:48:54
play means that sometimes you're going
00:48:55
to make a lot of mistakes. You're going
00:48:56
to lose the ball more so than other
00:48:57
players. I'd argue even more so than
00:48:59
some of the previous midfielders we've
00:49:01
had like Carrick who would often choose
00:49:03
a more safe option than trying to play
00:49:05
it through a thin gap. What's your
00:49:07
attitude towards risk?
00:49:08
>> I think it's always riskreward. You
00:49:10
know, you you need to understand how
00:49:11
much reward you're going to get from
00:49:12
that. Um and if taking that risk is good
00:49:18
for the team or not. Let's say the
00:49:19
position I play.
00:49:22
You need that is has to be one of your
00:49:24
main skills to take risks to do things
00:49:27
that the game demands from you and to
00:49:31
make sure that your team teammates in
00:49:33
the front get the ball in the positions
00:49:36
that is going to be
00:49:38
the rate of success for them to score a
00:49:40
goal is going to be higher. I might miss
00:49:43
two or three times, but if I get one
00:49:45
right, that can become a goal for us.
00:49:48
And I think there's nothing better than
00:49:50
a riskreward that is a goal. So I think
00:49:54
when you play as a number 10 position,
00:49:56
obviously you don't want to lose the
00:49:58
ball. You have to make that as less as
00:50:02
possible. But in certain positions, you
00:50:05
lose the ball more often than others.
00:50:06
Wingers will lose more the ball on one
00:50:08
v1s than midfielders do. Fullbacks will
00:50:12
do normally more crosses than center
00:50:15
backs will do. Number sixes will make
00:50:17
more tackles than a striker will do. So
00:50:21
is a balance in the team that you need
00:50:23
to have. Let's imagine I played with
00:50:26
Kobe and Cassad, they not a risk player.
00:50:30
So if I take four times, let's say uh
00:50:34
risky pass and they take one each,
00:50:36
that's six times a game. So I need to be
00:50:40
the one that takes four. They need to be
00:50:42
the ones that take one one each because
00:50:44
the responsibility they have in the team
00:50:47
is the one that they make the team play
00:50:49
from the buildup, push the team forward
00:50:51
to then get the ball into the players
00:50:53
that have to take the risks
00:50:54
>> because if you don't have the players
00:50:56
that take the risks,
00:50:59
you're going to end up bubbling. And we
00:51:01
talk like for example let's say
00:51:04
Man City that is a team that that let's
00:51:07
say Guardiola Tikitaka all these things.
00:51:09
De Bruin was the player that take the
00:51:11
risks.
00:51:12
>> Cherokee is not the player that take the
00:51:13
risks. Phil Falden Dou Mahrez will be
00:51:18
the ones that taking the risks on a 1 v
00:51:19
one.
00:51:20
>> Has a manager ever told you to take less
00:51:21
risks?
00:51:22
>> Eric told me to take less shots
00:51:26
>> from the outside of the box. He showed
00:51:28
me a a board with my success rating of
00:51:32
shots on target, shots off target, and
00:51:34
goals. Showed me the positions where I
00:51:36
was more effective. And he told me, I
00:51:39
think you need to get more into these
00:51:40
positions to then make your shot.
00:51:42
>> Into what positions?
00:51:43
>> Let's say close to the box like in in
00:51:46
the position we would see the box and
00:51:49
you would say like more towards left
00:51:50
hand side, you score more goals. more
00:51:52
towards the right hand side, you're you
00:51:55
aim more the goal towards the middle of
00:51:57
the of of the of the edge of the box,
00:52:00
you miss more shots. So, he was like,
00:52:03
get more into the left side or get more
00:52:04
into the right side or close range, long
00:52:07
range. So, but then obviously is is is
00:52:11
we come back to the risk and reward cuz
00:52:14
sometimes obviously you're going to
00:52:15
score a great goal from 25 yards out.
00:52:17
>> Mhm.
00:52:18
>> But how many times you going to do it
00:52:20
out of five? you maybe score one and
00:52:22
he's a lot already. So I need to make
00:52:25
that risk become less and less and less
00:52:29
getting more risk probably from 18 yards
00:52:32
because there the possibility of me
00:52:34
scoring a goal it might be three in five
00:52:38
because I'm much more closer. I can put
00:52:40
more power on the ball. I can be much
00:52:42
more effective.
00:52:44
>> I've spent the last decade building and
00:52:45
investing in companies and so often the
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conversation around marketing budgets
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00:52:50
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00:52:52
results don't come back. And most of the
00:52:54
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00:52:56
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00:52:58
audience. Ads reach people who will
00:53:00
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00:54:51
You've had lots of managers, so they've
00:54:53
all asked you of different to be, you
00:54:55
know, playing different positions. But
00:54:57
on on this pitch here, where is it that
00:55:00
you you like to play the most?
00:55:03
I think the positions where I can be
00:55:06
more effective is this square. Let's say
00:55:10
here I would say let's let's put it like
00:55:13
this.
00:55:13
>> Okay.
00:55:14
>> Yeah. No, just just need a square.
00:55:15
>> Oh, you just need a square.
00:55:16
>> This is let's say imagine we attacking
00:55:19
this side. This this is the spaces where
00:55:23
I think I can be more effective in this
00:55:25
square here. And different managers
00:55:27
asked you to play in different positions
00:55:29
within here
00:55:30
>> because for example
00:55:32
uh let's say let's put here with Ruben
00:55:36
he used to play three at the back one
00:55:39
wing back two midfielders
00:55:42
uh another wing back and striker two
00:55:47
with Ruben. I played a lot of times here
00:55:52
in this position when he first came and
00:55:54
he wanted me and and in this position
00:55:56
these two more more than often you
00:56:00
wanted me to be one of these two to help
00:56:02
here to help these two midfielders to
00:56:05
build up
00:56:06
>> and to get this guy higher in the
00:56:08
position when he can be in the last line
00:56:10
and to get the ball into these two. So
00:56:13
what position would you call that? Like
00:56:14
left.
00:56:15
>> This was the left 10, let's say. But he
00:56:17
wanted me to play more like as a left
00:56:20
midfielder. Okay.
00:56:21
>> To help them to like first of all to
00:56:23
have more stability in the middle.
00:56:25
Second to get the ball going forward
00:56:28
>> to take the risk of passing the ball
00:56:29
forward. Then I played a lot of times
00:56:31
here.
00:56:32
>> What we're going to do is we're going to
00:56:33
make you unfortunately we're going to
00:56:34
make you blue just so we can see which
00:56:35
one you are.
00:56:36
>> Okay.
00:56:36
>> Okay. So in this one when I played here
00:56:39
many times he wanted me here
00:56:41
>> because they were pressing let's say
00:56:43
three against three and he wanted me to
00:56:45
come and do the overload. So we had one
00:56:48
more player to build up so they will
00:56:50
open up this ones a little bit more get
00:56:52
this one more offensive normally was
00:56:54
Luke Shaw then as a fullback he was used
00:56:56
to play in this space and so then we
00:56:59
could drive the ball and they couldn't
00:57:00
press with the three they had they
00:57:01
wouldn't be able to press because we
00:57:03
always had this one also to bounce the
00:57:04
ball. Then whenever we go up the pitch
00:57:07
with the ball, you wanted me here.
00:57:10
>> Reuben did.
00:57:11
>> Yeah. You wanted me to play more a
00:57:14
little bit more higher to be one of the
00:57:16
three T10s and make this line of 310.
00:57:18
Then for example with the Ole I was
00:57:21
playing we would play like four two
00:57:26
three one and I will be the number 10.
00:57:28
And you wanted me to do this.
00:57:31
>> Uh okay. Go across. And sometimes you
00:57:33
wanted me to do this and get the ball
00:57:35
here or here to make the long passes and
00:57:38
to make the switches to the the wingers.
00:57:41
I think
00:57:43
this bit here in the middle is where I'm
00:57:45
more
00:57:47
I can I I think we all can see the best
00:57:50
version of Bruno. If you ask me where I
00:57:52
prefer to play, anywhere on the pitch.
00:57:56
I think for the way we play, this is the
00:57:59
position I I can be more effective, but
00:58:03
I think I really enjoy to play here
00:58:06
because I really enjoy to get the team
00:58:09
to play and if he I played many times
00:58:12
with Tanagard like this.
00:58:15
>> Mhm.
00:58:15
>> I was the number six playing with 28 and
00:58:17
I really enjoy it to play here and it
00:58:19
make make myself being different a
00:58:22
different player more aggressive off the
00:58:24
ball. someone that has to cover spaces
00:58:26
for these ones.
00:58:27
>> Regardless of where you are on the
00:58:28
pitch, which can change, what is
00:58:31
non-negotiable in terms of how you play?
00:58:34
>> Commitment.
00:58:36
That's that's non-negotiable. Like the
00:58:38
commitment I have for what we have to
00:58:40
do. It doesn't change by me liking the
00:58:44
position or not, me preferring one
00:58:46
position or the other. Um that that
00:58:49
won't change. Um,
00:58:52
I think running, fighting, and team
00:58:57
spirit can never miss.
00:58:58
>> It doesn't appear to me that you ever
00:58:59
get tired. And also, one remarkable
00:59:01
thing about you is you don't seem to
00:59:02
ever get injured.
00:59:04
>> I get tired and I got injured
00:59:05
unfortunately. Oh,
00:59:07
>> but how how does that happen? Cuz I I
00:59:08
watch you run it be the 89th minute and
00:59:10
you're running up and down still. Is
00:59:12
that genetic or is that something you do
00:59:13
in training? What is that? I think
00:59:15
obviously I've I have to say that I have
00:59:17
good genetics but um is
00:59:21
I I was talking with yoga about this the
00:59:23
other day also and the nutritionist
00:59:25
about like genetics how how you how you
00:59:28
treat yourself and everything. Uh but
00:59:30
then then the same time I said to them
00:59:32
you know what's different on me than the
00:59:33
other ones because I always train 100%.
00:59:35
I make the training as a game. I don't
00:59:37
care. I go full and if I I don't feel
00:59:39
good I I I need to make some extras. If
00:59:42
I feel that the training wasn't like
00:59:43
enough, let's do something else. Let's
00:59:45
do some shots. Let's do some crosses to
00:59:47
someone. Let's do something that can
00:59:49
make me go out of training and feeling
00:59:51
like I'm tired.
00:59:53
>> Why is that important? Because I think
00:59:55
in the game you need to get tired and
00:59:57
then you know like for example when when
00:59:59
I'm training shooting practice or last
01:00:02
third passes I rather train that when
01:00:04
I'm tired because going to be the last
01:00:07
20 minutes of the game your brain is not
01:00:09
going to work in the same way it was
01:00:10
working in the beginning because you get
01:00:12
tired and you get to think slower a
01:00:14
little bit. So you need to be able to
01:00:17
train your body and your brain when they
01:00:19
are tired. And I think if you do that in
01:00:22
training, when you get to the game and
01:00:24
you start getting tired, your brain is
01:00:26
used to that also. Your body is used to
01:00:28
be tired and it knows how to react into
01:00:31
into that moment.
01:00:32
>> These core principles that have been
01:00:34
central to how you play have led you to
01:00:36
being given this the captain's armband,
01:00:38
which was quite there's lots of talk of
01:00:40
it at the time because Maguire was the
01:00:42
captain before you. And it's quite typ
01:00:45
atypical for the captain to be displaced
01:00:47
while they're still at the club and for
01:00:48
someone else to be brought in. And as
01:00:50
fans from the outside, we wonder how
01:00:52
Maguire takes that, how Harry reacts to
01:00:55
that, but also what that means to you to
01:00:56
become captain of uh your dream club.
01:01:00
No, obviously for me was was a strange
01:01:03
time because I was not expecting, you
01:01:05
know, uh Tenner called me to his uh
01:01:07
office to speak with me and to ask me if
01:01:10
I wanted to be the captain of the club
01:01:13
because he had decided to change the
01:01:15
captain and he wanted me to be to be the
01:01:18
one to lead the team from now on. H
01:01:20
obviously first thought was like very
01:01:24
grateful. um like in something that I've
01:01:27
never dreamed about, you know, like you
01:01:29
you can have many dreams, but you don't
01:01:30
dream about being the captain, you know,
01:01:32
like of your club. And I think the
01:01:35
second thought was like this is going to
01:01:38
be tough on Harry. And the first person
01:01:39
that I spoke with after I got out of
01:01:41
that was Harry because he knew already.
01:01:44
I think the manager spoke to him and
01:01:46
before I said yes, I went to speak with
01:01:48
him. uh because the the manager
01:01:50
basically made me the question if I
01:01:52
wanted also that he didn't said like
01:01:54
you're going to be the captain that's it
01:01:55
point he asked me and I went to speak
01:01:58
with Ari and the first question I made
01:02:00
was if he was leaving the club because
01:02:03
obviously as you said it's not something
01:02:05
normal I've never been through this in
01:02:07
in my whole career and I spoke with him
01:02:10
about that the offer that they gave it
01:02:12
to me and to be honest to him and he
01:02:15
said he said like if is there someone
01:02:17
that that deserves that is you and I'm
01:02:19
I'm very very happy that is is you
01:02:22
getting the captain armband that uh if I
01:02:25
have to take it off for myself I think
01:02:28
you really deserve that and I think that
01:02:29
was the point that made me understand I
01:02:32
was doing things right you know uh
01:02:34
obviously I know for him was very
01:02:37
difficult and I don't think he would
01:02:38
have said something bad even if he felt
01:02:41
it uh to me but the way we spoke and the
01:02:44
way I think I've been treating him
01:02:46
through these years also in the same way
01:02:48
of like I said straight away to him like
01:02:51
you might have lost the arman but he's
01:02:53
still one of our leaders and that won't
01:02:55
change everything that we've been
01:02:57
through because Ari when he was the
01:02:59
captain we always make decisions
01:03:01
together also because I was one of them
01:03:03
and that hasn't changed now because
01:03:06
every time I have to do or take some
01:03:07
decisions for the team I speak with
01:03:09
certain players and Harry is one of them
01:03:10
that is always there
01:03:11
>> and your performance this season speaks
01:03:13
for itself uh you've won
01:03:16
you've well you've done 34 four
01:03:18
appearances, which I think is an
01:03:19
achievement in and of itself because a
01:03:20
lot of players aren't that consistent on
01:03:22
the pitch. Um, you've scored eight
01:03:23
goals, 20 assists. You've got 12 player
01:03:26
of the match awards, which is the most
01:03:28
by any player in the Premier League, six
01:03:30
player of the month awards, and only
01:03:32
Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane, and Muhammad
01:03:34
Salah have more. All of them have seven.
01:03:36
And you've also won Matt Busby's player
01:03:38
of the year award for the fifth time,
01:03:40
the most by any other Man United player.
01:03:42
And this that's an award voted by the
01:03:44
fans. And there's other awards that I
01:03:45
know you've won in recent times. I saw
01:03:47
you on stage the other day winning more
01:03:48
awards. What has what's happened? Why
01:03:51
why are you sudden you know you've had
01:03:53
you've been consistent throughout the
01:03:54
whole time since you've been at the
01:03:55
club, but this year seems to stand out
01:03:57
for some reason.
01:03:59
>> No, I think I think for this season,
01:04:02
first of all, I think when the team
01:04:04
shines, the individual comes up and I
01:04:06
think this season is being much better
01:04:08
from the last let's say two seasons. At
01:04:11
the same time, uh I think the assists
01:04:14
record and all this going around made
01:04:16
made me having a lot of headlines and
01:04:18
and and and stuff like that obviously is
01:04:21
is an achievement that hasn't been done
01:04:23
for any player. It's just Kevin De
01:04:26
Bruyne and Tierry. So
01:04:27
>> I've got the little graph here. It says,
01:04:29
"Yeah, Kevin De Bruyne." Thi actually
01:04:31
spoke to to Thierry about this as well
01:04:33
and he sends his regards to you.
01:04:35
Congratulates you on um joining him up
01:04:38
there um with with the record. Yeah,
01:04:40
it's it's something like that I'm very
01:04:42
grateful for, you know, like we I put I
01:04:45
put my name in this in this case with
01:04:47
them up there is something something
01:04:49
that I've never dreamed about or think
01:04:52
about. I like I probably start thinking
01:04:54
about that when I got probably into 16
01:04:56
17 assists. I was like, "Oh, I'm I'm
01:04:59
actually getting closer now." Uh but it
01:05:01
was not something that was in my head
01:05:02
because in my head is always improving
01:05:04
my last season and getting better
01:05:07
numbers, better outputs, better
01:05:09
performance and was never in my mind
01:05:12
that I would go to 18, 19, 20 or
01:05:15
whatsoever. Uh but obviously when you
01:05:17
start getting close, you start thinking
01:05:18
about a little bit
01:05:19
>> and then all of us as fans start
01:05:21
watching the games to see if you can do
01:05:22
it.
01:05:23
>> And then and then obviously I think um
01:05:25
I've been very consistent in terms of
01:05:27
performance during my six years here.
01:05:30
But um probably other years were people
01:05:34
that stand out that more than me and
01:05:36
that's why I probably didn't got as much
01:05:38
attention as I did this season. with
01:05:40
being captain and with being at the
01:05:42
biggest club in the world. I think in
01:05:44
terms of fan base, um with that comes
01:05:46
pressure and responsibility, the world
01:05:48
talks about you. You know, no matter
01:05:51
what industry you're in, an occupational
01:05:53
hazard of of being at the very very top
01:05:55
or the peak of your powers or being even
01:05:56
better is more and more talk. And you
01:05:59
know, I think especially because of
01:06:01
this, people are talking even more about
01:06:03
Bruno Fernandez than I've ever seen. You
01:06:05
know, in my group chat, I've got a Man
01:06:06
United group chat and we're watching the
01:06:08
game. We're watching you. we're willing
01:06:09
you to we were willing you to reach this
01:06:11
record which you did and now because
01:06:13
you're you know people are saying you're
01:06:15
the you're the player of the year in the
01:06:16
Premier League. They're they're giving
01:06:17
you all these big awards. With that
01:06:19
comes even more criticism and I think
01:06:20
this is where your childhood has
01:06:21
prepared you.
01:06:22
>> Yeah.
01:06:23
>> That your dad sounds like your dad
01:06:25
prepared you. I I wanted to I wanted to
01:06:27
clear something up because it was on my
01:06:28
mind. Um, and I imagine it's frustrating
01:06:31
for you, which is when your words are
01:06:32
twisted in the media. And recently Roy
01:06:35
Keane criticized your mentality based on
01:06:37
a quote he got completely backwards. He
01:06:39
claimed you said, "I should have shot,
01:06:41
but I made the passes and used that to
01:06:44
suggest that you were chasing individual
01:06:45
assist stats. But everyone who actually
01:06:47
listened to the interview, including
01:06:48
myself, knows you said almost the exact
01:06:50
opposite. You were being self-critical
01:06:52
of yourself in saying you should have
01:06:53
passed the ball instead of shot because
01:06:56
you wanted the best for your team." And
01:06:57
so, interestingly, because I've spoken
01:06:59
to so many of your your players, your,
01:07:01
you know, your teammates over the last
01:07:02
couple of days about you, they also told
01:07:05
me that this is the exact opposite of
01:07:07
your mentality on the pitch and off the
01:07:09
pitch. And I know it must be frustrating
01:07:11
for your leadership style to be sort of
01:07:13
misrepresented in that way. Um, how how
01:07:15
how do you respond to that? Like, how do
01:07:17
you deal with that when you hear it and
01:07:18
you go, "That's not what I said."
01:07:20
>> Yeah. To be honest, like I've always
01:07:21
said, I don't mind criticism. I've
01:07:24
always take criticism from everyone and
01:07:25
anyone and I never reply to anything or
01:07:28
whatsoever. People have an opinion, they
01:07:30
think it's good, bad, whatever. What I
01:07:32
don't like was when people lie about
01:07:35
things and this case that you said about
01:07:37
Roy Kin, basically what he said is a lie
01:07:39
because you can either either he saw
01:07:42
some other interview or he can't say
01:07:44
that I said one thing that I've just not
01:07:46
said. And luckily for me is everything
01:07:48
on record. Imagine if he wasn't like
01:07:50
then people will think like oh yeah
01:07:51
Bruno is is the guy always trying to got
01:07:54
the assist but one thing that is
01:07:56
consistent is my number of creation is
01:07:59
always the same. So it's not that I've
01:08:00
been trying to reach this now no I've
01:08:03
been creating chances since I came to
01:08:04
the Premier League probably more than
01:08:06
anyone else. So he hasn't changed that
01:08:08
my type of play or of play or way of
01:08:11
playing hasn't changed since I came to
01:08:12
the Premier League. It's not that this
01:08:14
season probably Roy Kein saw someone
01:08:16
like Bruno creating more because he
01:08:18
wanted the assist record. No, he's
01:08:19
seeing the same Bruno that is about
01:08:21
risky reward, is about creating chances
01:08:23
for his teammates, is about getting the
01:08:25
best out of the other ones. Because the
01:08:28
thing is like you will get criticized in
01:08:29
a way if you say if you're scoring
01:08:31
goals, you'll get criticized because
01:08:33
you're not passing the ball and you're
01:08:34
shooting. If you if you if you're doing
01:08:36
assists is because you're passing too
01:08:38
much and you're not shooting to score
01:08:39
goals. So, it's going to always be like
01:08:41
that. people will always make the the
01:08:43
the balance the way they want. They
01:08:44
won't balance thing. They will put it
01:08:46
the the way they want to the things to
01:08:48
be. And obviously, I think I've always
01:08:50
showed a lot of respect for for Raen and
01:08:52
for everything he's done for the club
01:08:54
and for everything he's is is um he's
01:08:56
always said I've never ever had
01:08:59
something to say. I've never said
01:09:00
something wrong. I even asked Ole his
01:09:03
number to text him to be honest to to to
01:09:05
have a word with him to say like that. I
01:09:08
don't mind the criticism. I don't like
01:09:09
when people lie about things that I say
01:09:12
>> because this is like it goes a little
01:09:14
bit over the top of the things that I
01:09:16
think uh are acceptable. I accept
01:09:18
criticism. I accept that he can say
01:09:20
things that I don't like and I don't
01:09:23
like to see it. But as I said before
01:09:25
that improves me. Uh what I don't like
01:09:28
is that people make their own words on
01:09:31
what I say and it's not true. He can
01:09:33
criticize me, criticizing me, killing
01:09:35
me, say that I'm not good enough, that
01:09:36
I'm not a good captain for him, that I'm
01:09:38
not a good player for the club
01:09:40
whatsoever. It's bad. Is is okay. I
01:09:42
don't mind. Is it is he opinion? I like
01:09:44
it. No. Obviously, I prefer Roy Kein to
01:09:47
give me some praise sometimes because
01:09:49
I've achieved something that not many
01:09:50
players have achieved. I understand that
01:09:52
this club is about winning trophies.
01:09:53
I've never take that off my mind. I've
01:09:55
always said in front of everyone that I
01:09:57
want to win the Premier League and the
01:09:58
Champions League. I never said I wanted
01:09:59
to be the best Prem player in the
01:10:01
Premier League. Never. Never one time
01:10:03
any any person has heard that Bruno
01:10:05
wanted to uh get the assist record or
01:10:08
get the goals record or get the player
01:10:10
of the season or get um being better
01:10:13
than anyone else. Now, Bruno wants the
01:10:14
club to be successful. Bruno wants the
01:10:16
club to win trophies and that's all
01:10:18
Bruno wants. I accept his criticism. I
01:10:20
accept that he he might likes me like me
01:10:23
as a player or not, likes me as a person
01:10:25
or not. But what I don't like is that he
01:10:28
puts words in my mouth that has not been
01:10:30
said. That's the only thing I don't
01:10:32
like.
01:10:33
>> Well, I am I I did actually ask your
01:10:35
your teammates what you were like and uh
01:10:38
I asked them on and off camera on and
01:10:40
off the record. I couldn't get some of
01:10:42
them to be very serious, but um what I
01:10:45
what I received is lots and lots of
01:10:47
voice notes from lots and lots of your
01:10:48
your former players. I text around uh
01:10:51
last night and I'll play you what they
01:10:54
said.
01:10:56
My friend Bruno, taking this opportunity
01:11:00
to spread some love to you. I just
01:11:03
wanted to take this opportunity to tell
01:11:05
you how much we value you as a player
01:11:08
and as a person. I think not many people
01:11:11
get to see how are you after the games
01:11:14
and uh outside of the pitch. So I would
01:11:18
say that's one of your best qualities.
01:11:19
the way you care, the way you one of the
01:11:22
first to help everyone, your leadership,
01:11:24
your consistency.
01:11:27
That's something that I take from from
01:11:28
example and you know it. It's been a lot
01:11:31
of years together right now. So
01:11:33
hopefully this this can continue and we
01:11:36
can win so many things and so much much
01:11:39
more things together.
01:11:41
>> Skip Tom for me. a world class
01:11:44
footballer consistently world class as
01:11:47
well um which is which is very difficult
01:11:50
I think everyone knows that how good you
01:11:52
are but I think more importantly from
01:11:54
from my view is how you are as a human
01:11:57
being and that's a side that not many
01:11:58
people get to see you know the caring
01:12:02
compassionate supporting demanding at
01:12:04
the right times but yeah I think for me
01:12:06
that that is by far and a way probably
01:12:08
your best quality why you're the the
01:12:10
leader of this team and and such a good
01:12:12
human being so for me proud to call the
01:12:14
captain, but more importantly a friend.
01:12:16
So, top cost.
01:12:17
>> I mean, what he does on the pitch
01:12:19
obviously speaks for itself, but I mean,
01:12:22
away from football, he's he's an
01:12:24
unbelievable human being. The way he
01:12:26
treats people, looks after people, the
01:12:30
way he lifts others when they need it,
01:12:32
and I feel like the respect he gives
01:12:34
everyone around him that says everything
01:12:37
about his his character. And
01:12:41
I feel like I've been lucky to spend a
01:12:43
number of years with him. And he's one
01:12:46
of them people that you you kind of
01:12:48
appreciate having around you every
01:12:50
single day. He's the type of player who
01:12:52
makes people around him better without
01:12:53
even trying. We love you, Capitano.
01:12:57
>> We love you, Capitano.
01:13:00
>> I mean, I had so many more, but we just
01:13:01
don't have the time.
01:13:03
>> Yeah. No, it's just uh you know
01:13:06
the standout from that for me is just uh
01:13:09
the way they speak uh
01:13:13
from me as a person, not more as a
01:13:15
player, you know, like uh
01:13:18
and you you picked some people that I'm
01:13:20
very demanding on them, you know, like
01:13:22
um Diego and Luke as as being probably
01:13:25
the players have been more time with me.
01:13:27
Tom is probably up there with Harry,
01:13:29
Harry, Luke, Diego, and then Tom and his
01:13:33
uh his people that I really respect a
01:13:35
lot. But as as I said to you, like it's
01:13:37
not what they say about me as a player,
01:13:39
is more what they say uh from me as as
01:13:41
as a person that uh that makes me very
01:13:45
proud and very happy because uh you you
01:13:48
can be a good player and I'm going to
01:13:49
meet a lot of good players in the in the
01:13:51
world of football and you can train with
01:13:53
a lot of them and and meet them a lot.
01:13:56
But uh I think that uh what it stays at
01:13:59
the end is like the way you behave as a
01:14:01
person and I like to see that I have the
01:14:03
good values that my parents showed me.
01:14:06
>> That's what I said at the start when you
01:14:07
started describing what your parents had
01:14:08
instilled in you back in Porto. It
01:14:11
sounded like what all your colleagues
01:14:13
and your the players you play with said
01:14:15
to me as well because I've done this
01:14:16
before and people will say, "Oh, he's a
01:14:18
great player. He's amazing." Whatever.
01:14:19
But what was consistently true through
01:14:21
all of those messages and there's so
01:14:22
many more is they all chose to speak
01:14:24
about you as a human.
01:14:26
>> Yeah.
01:14:26
>> And that's clear that clearly comes from
01:14:28
what whatever your parents did at a
01:14:30
young age.
01:14:32
>> Why does that mean so much to you? I can
01:14:34
see it in your face.
01:14:35
>> No, because as I said to you, uh I think
01:14:39
as a player you can be as good as you
01:14:40
want. like uh at the end of the day I
01:14:43
think the way you behave and the way you
01:14:44
treat people around you is the most
01:14:46
important thing because you spend so
01:14:48
much time with them that uh they kind of
01:14:53
become part of your day by day you know
01:14:54
like you see more there often than I see
01:14:57
my parents for example I I obviously my
01:14:59
wife and my kids is the people I see the
01:15:01
most but then after that is them I don't
01:15:04
see my friends from Portugal as often as
01:15:05
them my parents my brother my sister I I
01:15:08
see more them and and the way I behave
01:15:10
the way I've been raised, the way I want
01:15:13
to live my life and the way I want uh my
01:15:16
kids to be is is the way they have uh
01:15:20
they have said the things about me and
01:15:22
this makes me very proud.
01:15:26
>> Why what is that emotion?
01:15:29
>> I don't know. It's just like uh it's
01:15:31
good to hear that. Just just that.
01:15:35
>> It's so interesting cuz I don't think
01:15:37
any anybody else that I've met would
01:15:40
respond
01:15:42
how you're responding to hearing people
01:15:44
talk about you as a man and as a human.
01:15:46
>> I don't know.
01:15:48
I'm just a a soft guy. It doesn't look
01:15:50
on a pitch, but I'm quite quite a soft
01:15:52
guy.
01:15:55
One thing I've learned from interviewing
01:15:56
a lot of founders and building companies
01:15:58
myself is that trust is the real
01:16:00
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01:16:01
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01:16:03
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01:16:07
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01:16:09
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01:16:11
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01:16:14
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01:16:52
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01:16:54
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01:16:56
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01:16:58
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01:17:02
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01:17:04
leave, what I get them to do is to write
01:17:06
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01:17:10
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01:17:59
One of the things I learned through my
01:18:00
investigations is that you have a a
01:18:04
clause in your contract, and you don't
01:18:05
have to confirm or deny this. I'm not
01:18:07
going to ask you to, but what I what I
01:18:08
discovered is that you have a clause in
01:18:09
your contract which allows you to leave
01:18:11
for I I was I found out 60 million. And
01:18:15
you chose not to leave Manchester
01:18:17
United. You got a very very very large
01:18:20
financial offer. I mean, I've seen some
01:18:22
of the numbers that are reported up to
01:18:24
200 million to leave Manchester United
01:18:26
and you chose not to leave. You could
01:18:29
have rode off into the sunset. You
01:18:31
frankly, I think the way you were
01:18:32
playing, you could have gone to almost
01:18:34
any club in the world. You could have
01:18:35
got paid more and probably would have
01:18:37
had a a more certain guarantee of
01:18:39
winning silverware. And for some reason,
01:18:42
you chose to stay. when that offer came
01:18:44
in reportedly from the Middle East that
01:18:47
you know the big offer that we're
01:18:48
hearing for a contract that was worth
01:18:51
reportedly 200 million.
01:18:54
Why didn't you go?
01:18:57
>> Uh I I said it before I
01:19:01
I haven't fulfilled my dreams here, you
01:19:02
know, at this club.
01:19:04
>> Was that a conversation you had with
01:19:05
your wife?
01:19:06
>> Yeah, also
01:19:08
>> what was that conversation? She seems to
01:19:10
be there all the time when you make
01:19:11
these big decisions. Oh, of course she's
01:19:14
the one uh probably I never make a
01:19:17
decision by myself because obviously
01:19:21
moving around nowadays with two kids has
01:19:24
has a lot to say obviously um and uh
01:19:29
more than uh I don't know become
01:19:33
most richest person in my own town. I
01:19:36
want to live my dreams and pass through
01:19:40
the values to my kids that they they
01:19:42
need to have and
01:19:45
my family is always going to be the
01:19:47
number one priority in everything I do.
01:19:50
Um because
01:19:52
they followed my dream. Uh, [ __ ] you.
01:19:57
They um they my wife obviously I know on
01:20:03
the other side it looks great life
01:20:05
obviously a lot of money good a lot of
01:20:07
good things but she chose to leave my
01:20:11
dream with me and that's says a lot
01:20:14
about her because
01:20:16
let's say that uh when she
01:20:20
chose to do that I was 17 years old
01:20:24
going to a club with
01:20:27
uh one point like let's say uh oh you
01:20:32
say 1500 you say
01:20:33
>> 1,500
01:20:34
>> yes a month uh in Italy uh a lot of um
01:20:42
uncertainty let's say she had uh her own
01:20:45
life she had uh her own
01:20:51
dreams
01:20:53
and uh obviously She she said like, "I'm
01:20:58
I'm going to help you." And uh that's
01:21:01
what she did
01:21:04
since uh since day one until now. So she
01:21:07
always has a say on everything I do.
01:21:10
>> And you've been with her since you were
01:21:11
16. You're 16.
01:21:12
>> Yeah. 16. She was 16. Now I was about to
01:21:16
be 17. So more or less that.
01:21:19
And uh and then after that we have we
01:21:22
have constructed a beautiful family. two
01:21:25
beautiful kids.
01:21:26
>> Yeah.
01:21:27
>> And so on that day when you get you get
01:21:29
a big offer to leave Manchester United,
01:21:30
she's the first person you speak to. Of
01:21:33
course, as always, I spoke obviously
01:21:36
first my agent because he speaks with me
01:21:38
about the offer, but then the first
01:21:39
thing I did was call her and I was in uh
01:21:44
I think was Hong Kong that we were uh
01:21:47
like we went on the postseason tour and
01:21:51
uh timing was not the best to talk with
01:21:53
her because of time difference and
01:21:54
everything, but she was there again and
01:21:58
uh what uh the words she said was like,
01:22:03
"Have you have you achieved everything
01:22:06
you wanted to achieve in your career?
01:22:08
And is is this the next step you want to
01:22:10
give for for your future and for your
01:22:11
career?" Like, because obviously this is
01:22:15
the league I want to be. This is the
01:22:16
best league in the world. This is where
01:22:17
I'm going to enjoy my football as I'm
01:22:20
not going to enjoy it in any other
01:22:22
place. So,
01:22:24
we we still have uh dreams to fulfill.
01:22:29
>> Why does that make you emotional? I
01:22:31
don't know talking about family
01:22:34
it's uh it's tough
01:22:37
just because
01:22:39
um
01:22:41
in the in the football career you go
01:22:43
through a lot ups and downs and a lot of
01:22:46
uh difficult moments
01:22:48
and uh let's say the ones that suffered
01:22:51
most of them because they see your good
01:22:55
moments, your bad moments, your good
01:22:57
things, your bad things, your good side,
01:22:59
your bad side also.
01:23:02
But uh they always stand by you. So
01:23:04
that's the most important thing you can
01:23:06
have in life.
01:23:11
And
01:23:11
>> she's always been there.
01:23:12
>> Yeah.
01:23:14
>> She looks like my fianceé a little bit.
01:23:16
She Portuguese.
01:23:16
>> Portuguese girl. Yeah.
01:23:19
>> Very down to earth, I hear.
01:23:20
>> Yeah. She's she's the one that pushed me
01:23:23
down to earth. Also, when I'm probably
01:23:25
getting too much or feeling too big,
01:23:28
she's always also very very tough on me
01:23:32
to make me understand that's all the
01:23:35
things to improve.
01:23:37
It's my let's say she's the second
01:23:40
version of my dad.
01:23:46
Probably that's why I chose her and she
01:23:49
chose me in certain way.
01:23:53
Does she know this? Does she know? Have
01:23:55
you been able to tell her?
01:23:57
>> Yeah.
01:23:58
>> Yeah.
01:23:58
>> I'm uh She's not. She's going to I can't
01:24:02
say the word what she's going to say
01:24:04
after she sees this and she sees me
01:24:05
crying. She's going to say I'm very
01:24:07
soft. I won't say the word exactly, but
01:24:10
let's say I'm the affection one, you
01:24:12
know, the one that likes Uggs, that
01:24:14
likes uh she's she's more I don't know.
01:24:18
She's
01:24:20
she likes she's she I think she she's
01:24:25
through her life she had uh she had many
01:24:27
things going on and she built this thing
01:24:30
around her that she doesn't need
01:24:33
let's say she doesn't need much love or
01:24:35
whatsoever but is there many moments
01:24:38
where
01:24:40
I know she needs I know she feels it I
01:24:42
know she kind of like she's just like is
01:24:46
not good at saying what she feels And uh
01:24:49
I'm more open. I I show more my
01:24:52
emotions. I show more if I care, if I
01:24:54
don't care, if I suffer, if I don't
01:24:56
suffer. She she kind of clos it a little
01:24:59
bit for herself.
01:25:01
Um
01:25:03
but uh she's a very strong woman to be
01:25:05
honest.
01:25:05
>> I know you have two beautiful kids
01:25:06
together.
01:25:07
>> Yeah, she we have a beautiful girl. That
01:25:11
was the first one. at the time we were
01:25:14
in Italy and then it came little Gonzalo
01:25:19
when we were in England. So one let's
01:25:22
say that she's always saying that she's
01:25:24
half Italian and one uh that basically
01:25:27
looks like British is white blonde um
01:25:31
and uh one half English let's say and
01:25:33
then two full Portuguese people.
01:25:36
>> I didn't realize your celebration where
01:25:38
you you cover your ears as for your
01:25:39
daughter.
01:25:40
>> Yeah.
01:25:40
>> She covers her ears, right? Yeah, she
01:25:42
used to do it when she was younger.
01:25:44
She's too old for that now. She's a
01:25:46
little Anna now. Very very strong
01:25:48
minded, very strong attitude. She has a
01:25:51
lot from me in the terms of uh being
01:25:55
very strong and very she's like uh she
01:25:58
can take care of herself very well. Is
01:26:02
exactly like her mom.
01:26:04
>> Well, I wanted to say thank you. I'm a
01:26:07
Man United fan and hearing that you, you
01:26:10
know, have gone through this very
01:26:11
tumultuous period with the club where
01:26:13
you could have gone where you've had
01:26:14
many offers from many people to go and
01:26:16
do something else and you've had offers
01:26:17
where people offered you even more money
01:26:20
and for whatever reason and I think it I
01:26:22
now understand because I've understood
01:26:24
your values that your parents instilled
01:26:26
in you, you chose to stay and to stick
01:26:28
with us as a club and as a fan base. So
01:26:31
on behalf of myself and all of my
01:26:33
friends that Man United fans and the Man
01:26:34
Manchester United fan base, I just
01:26:35
wanted to say a huge thank you. Loyalty
01:26:38
is increasingly rare these days in
01:26:41
football um because people are often
01:26:43
thinking about other things. So as a Man
01:26:44
United fan, thank you so much. By doing
01:26:48
that, you've also taught me something as
01:26:50
a man. You've also taught me what
01:26:52
loyalty is and how you treat other
01:26:54
people. And you've taught me a lesson
01:26:55
about responsibility in my businesses,
01:26:57
in my relationships, and in my life. And
01:26:59
I think this is a really important
01:27:00
lesson because there are so many young
01:27:02
men that look up to you. And what you've
01:27:04
said through the good and the bad times
01:27:07
is that you keep on going. You keep on
01:27:09
going. You keep on fighting. You don't
01:27:11
give up. You don't quit. And it's so
01:27:13
great that the captain of the biggest
01:27:14
club on earth has those values and puts
01:27:18
those values before other things that
01:27:20
might tempt someone with less integrity.
01:27:24
So I just wanted to say a huge thank
01:27:25
you. And I I also am passing that on
01:27:27
from many of your teammates who are very
01:27:28
very very glad that you stayed.
01:27:31
>> Okay. Thank you very much. I really
01:27:32
appreciate that. That's very kind words
01:27:34
from you
01:27:35
>> and I hope you stay even longer because
01:27:38
I think we're coming into an interesting
01:27:39
period at Manchester United where I
01:27:41
think we have a lot of the sort of
01:27:42
foundations in place now
01:27:45
to to carry on.
01:27:46
>> That's what I hope so. And I think this
01:27:49
not the club but everything in general,
01:27:52
the fans and everyone I think really
01:27:55
really deserve to be back to the glory
01:27:58
days.
01:27:59
>> Things have changed. I mean Inos are
01:28:01
here now. I know the um I know quite a
01:28:02
lot of the guys at Inos. I was away in
01:28:04
the in the tour with a couple of them
01:28:06
during the American preseason tour and
01:28:10
one of the things they said to me is
01:28:11
what that when they arrived in the club
01:28:12
there wasn't structure. A couple of them
01:28:14
had said to me there just wasn't. And
01:28:16
it's so rare that you have this this
01:28:18
huge gap between the manager and the
01:28:20
ownership or the players and the
01:28:22
ownership that usually in clubs there's
01:28:23
structure. They've I think from what
01:28:26
I've heard from players they've put that
01:28:27
structure in place now. How has it
01:28:29
changed with any arrival? No, I think
01:28:32
was first of all it was important
01:28:34
because as you said uh not that we
01:28:37
didn't have a structure but was very
01:28:38
difficult for players to understand
01:28:40
where where they had to go to talk in
01:28:43
certain situations that they we were not
01:28:45
very clear we should talk with
01:28:47
>> and now I think it's very clear that you
01:28:49
have Jason then you have Omar and then
01:28:52
you have sim I'm I'm very aware that now
01:28:56
the structure that we have is a is a
01:28:58
good foundation and a good base for us
01:29:00
to understand where and which places we
01:29:03
need to go if we need something as a
01:29:04
club or as a players.
01:29:06
>> Has it improved?
01:29:07
>> We started a process with uh Reuben
01:29:10
where we thought that would be a process
01:29:11
of 3 four years. That was the plan of
01:29:13
the club. Then we know there was a break
01:29:15
in in a relationship there between the
01:29:17
manager and the club and they had to
01:29:19
change unfortunately. Uh and now they
01:29:22
today they they have announced that they
01:29:23
want to go in a direction with the with
01:29:25
Michael and hopefully for me I hope that
01:29:29
he stays stable because the main thing
01:29:31
the club needs is stability in terms of
01:29:33
managing because if you really believe
01:29:36
that Michael is the guy and and you took
01:29:38
him to the job I think you have to give
01:29:41
him the foundations he need to build
01:29:43
what he thinks he needs for a successful
01:29:46
team. At the same time, I think you
01:29:48
brought someone in that knows what are
01:29:50
the values of the club. And I think
01:29:52
that's the main thing and the most
01:29:53
important thing that the club brings
01:29:55
people in that know the values and know
01:29:57
what's needed and have a great character
01:29:59
to be at this club.
01:30:00
>> And Michael is the guy.
01:30:01
>> Yeah. Because as I said, I think he's
01:30:03
the he's the one that uh knows the club
01:30:05
better than any any player that here. Uh
01:30:08
he's been probably more time at the
01:30:10
club. I've been with him as a manager,
01:30:11
assistant manager and then manager. the
01:30:13
way he behaves uh he shows that he has
01:30:16
the character to be the manager of Man
01:30:18
United. I think that's very important to
01:30:20
have someone that in the the full
01:30:24
process will know always where he wants
01:30:26
to go, where he wants to be and how much
01:30:28
he wants this club to succeed.
01:30:30
>> You said to me earlier that since
01:30:32
Michael Carrick has joined, Man United
01:30:33
have won more points than any club in
01:30:35
the Premier League, and that's
01:30:35
statistically accurate. For this to
01:30:37
continue on and to continue going
01:30:39
forward, obviously the summer is going
01:30:40
to be really, really important. And I
01:30:42
was talking to a few of the other
01:30:43
players about this as well like Diego.
01:30:45
What needs to happen this summer in your
01:30:47
opinion for Manchester United to
01:30:48
continue to move up and potentially even
01:30:51
fight for the title?
01:30:52
>> We need recruitment is is obviously we
01:30:54
know we know like obviously we losing
01:30:56
Casemiro there is a pal pal thing that
01:30:58
we had. So we going to need a player to
01:31:01
replace him. Uh either is a player that
01:31:03
is already in the house. Either is a
01:31:05
player that's coming. We need to
01:31:06
reinforce the team to become stronger as
01:31:09
a team. not we need the best player in
01:31:12
the world this or that. No, we need
01:31:13
players that want to come to United to
01:31:15
understand that we through a process
01:31:17
that we want to win the league but it
01:31:19
might not happen but this is the way we
01:31:21
want to go to become the successful club
01:31:23
that we were before. So I think the
01:31:25
recruitment has to be the right one. We
01:31:27
need to bring the right people in again
01:31:28
as we did last summer. I think in that
01:31:30
Reuben was great in the choices he made
01:31:33
to bring the players he he did to to the
01:31:35
club because he brought good characters,
01:31:37
good players and good professionals
01:31:39
also. And I think that's very important
01:31:41
for the next one.
01:31:42
>> Bruno, we have a closing tradition on
01:31:43
this podcast where the last guest leaves
01:31:45
a question for the next guest not
01:31:46
knowing who they're leaving the question
01:31:47
for. And the question that's been left
01:31:49
for you is if we sat here in 5 years
01:31:53
time and the five years that had just
01:31:56
passed were a huge success. What would
01:31:59
have had to have happened?
01:32:02
Huge success. Well, at let's say that
01:32:05
I've I've won the Premier League, I've
01:32:08
won the Champions League with the club
01:32:10
and uh we've brought
01:32:12
>> got the old
01:32:14
>> we've brought the club back to the place
01:32:16
he has to be in terms of club.
01:32:19
Obviously, in five years time, I would
01:32:21
like to be able to touch one of the gold
01:32:24
ones too with my national team. Of
01:32:26
course, that's let's say that's my
01:32:29
biggest goal in terms of career
01:32:32
>> is probably the World Cup.
01:32:34
>> I would say because winning the Premier
01:32:36
League and the Champions League with
01:32:38
this club will be amazing, but
01:32:40
representing my nation will be always
01:32:42
the biggest achievement I have in my
01:32:43
career because
01:32:46
not many players get to do that. You
01:32:47
know like uh representing your this is
01:32:51
when you represent your people when you
01:32:53
represent your parents,
01:32:55
your brother, sister, wife, kids. This
01:32:59
is you you represent that small nation
01:33:03
inside but in size but big in quality
01:33:06
and big in in love and and fearless a
01:33:10
fearless country that has conquered the
01:33:12
world many times in different ways and
01:33:15
do it in a in in in a football way will
01:33:17
be will be a great achievement for us
01:33:20
>> irrespective of what happens here and I
01:33:23
I very much believe that Manchester
01:33:25
United has now the potential to go and
01:33:27
challenge for these trophies here
01:33:29
because of all the hard work that has
01:33:31
been put in by many people in this club,
01:33:32
but also because of your loyalty. Um,
01:33:34
irrespective of what happens, uh, you're
01:33:36
going to be a cult hero at this club
01:33:38
forever. Not not not irrespective of
01:33:40
this stuff, because I think you've done
01:33:42
something which is even harder and even
01:33:44
more rare in the modern world, which is
01:33:45
you've shown tremendous loyalty,
01:33:47
unbelievable character, you've shown
01:33:49
humanity, and you've set an example for
01:33:51
the club when we were at our weakest,
01:33:53
when we needed someone to do that the
01:33:55
most. It's all well and good doing it
01:33:57
when everything's great. It's all well
01:33:59
and good, but doing being that committed
01:34:01
and that loyal and setting that much of
01:34:02
an example and continuing to run on the
01:34:05
pitch, but also to be an exceptional
01:34:07
human off the pitch when times are hard,
01:34:08
I think says even more about a man. So
01:34:11
again, on behalf of all the Man United
01:34:12
fans, a huge, huge thank you and um
01:34:16
please sign the contract
01:34:19
>> when he's in the table.
01:34:20
>> Brilliant. Thank you. Thank you very
01:34:22
much. Well done. Thank you so much.
01:34:24
Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you.
01:34:26
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