It’s not every day that a Manchester United captain gets outshone by someone scoring in the tenth division of the footballing pyramid but that is what happened earlier this weekend. Bruno Fernandes scored two crucial goals in the Premier League against Bournemouth to bail out the Salford side from another embarrassing result. But the limelight fell on another goal that was scored under completely different circumstances, on the opposite end of the English island.
Red Devils skipper Bruno Fernandes’ brace against Bournemouth was overshadowed by his brother’s wonder strike for his non-league side. The 29-year-old’s brother, Ricardo Fernandes is the captain of the West Sussex-based Roffey FC which plays in the Southern Combination Division One. Earlier this weekend Bruno posted a video of his brother’s goal against another team which made the fans drool over him.
During their match against Seaford Town, Ricardo made a darting run towards the outside for a long ball in the channel.
After receiving the ball, the ace quickly cut inside the pursuing centre back to get goal side. While this move alone was enough to prove his footballing acumen, he then decided to unleash the outside of his right foot to blast the ball into the net. Truly a remarkable strike from a very obscure angle.
The Ricardo Quaresma-esque strike soon found its way to fame after the United captain shared an Instagram story with the video. The video sent the netizens into a giddy mood as some of the fans even asked Manchester United to sign him.
Who is Ricardo Fernandes and what does he do?
Bruno Fernandes’ less famous lookalike, Ricardo, likes to stay out of the buzz. Despite being a baller, Ricardo, the brother of the prolific Portuguese, is not a professional footballer. He is an NHS employee who plays non-league football on weekends. While most family members who have some control of the game become agents of players (looking at you, Veronique Rabiot), Ricardo has actively carved his own path.
Ricardo on the other hand works as a Nursing Assistant at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. Contrary to notions, Ricardo came to England to work back in 2018, before Bruno had even considered moving to England. He is also a part owner of Inter Milheirós Futebol Clube, a club in Porto that plays in the second tier of the Football Association of Porto.
During a conversation with FourFourTwo, the elder Fernandes had explained how he also had dreams of becoming a professional footballer as a youngster. But it didn’t come to be. However, he doesn’t despair over it. Ricardo is a complete family man who spends a lot of time with his partner Patricia Ferreira and their son Tomas.
Apart from playing football, the family loves to go out traveling. Ricardo’s Instagram betrays his penchant for quality family time as there are very few images are there where his partner is not in them. Among their favourite destinations, warm beaches hog most of their photographs.
Ricardo’s relationship with his brother is also very ‘normal’. Although they are not always seen together, Ricardo loves to see his brother play whenever he can and regularly visits the matches. However, that doesn’t mean that he has any restrictions on what he can like or post on the internet. On his X account, which has nothing but retweets and quote tweets, he has retweeted news appreciating players like Mohamed Salah and Joelinton.
He has also expressed his discontent with how people use him to vent their complaints against his brother. Clearly a man of distinct boundaries, Ricardo agreed that he has to receive harsh treatment for his brother’s performance, which is uncalled for.
However, now that he has scored the wondergoal, he should expect more eyeballs on his non-league matches from now on, whether he likes it or not.
