Bruno Fernandes has been Manchester United’s main man for years.
Since arriving from Sporting CP in January 2020, he has carried more responsibility than almost anyone at the club.
He takes the ball when games are tense, demands it when United are struggling, creates when others go quiet and plays with the urgency of someone who feels every attack is his job to fix.
Bruno is not a midfielder who drifts through matches waiting for moments, he forces them.
Through balls, crosses, cut-backs, set-pieces, risky passes into crowded areas; he is constantly trying to make something happen, and his assist record reflects that.s.
Whether from a whipped corner, a disguised through ball or a first-time pass between defenders, Bruno has become one of the Premier League’s most reliable creators.
He took that reputation to historic levels this season, breaking the Premier League single-season assists record with 21 assists on the last day, surpassing the previous mark of 20 shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
However, Bruno’s assists and appearances are not limited to the pitch.
Every so often, footballers show up in places that have nothing to do with matchdays, trophies or transfer talk, and Bruno’s latest appearance was one of the stranger examples.
Niko Omilana posted a promo for Shades, his candy brand, and Bruno was right in the middle of it.
Niko is one of Britain’s biggest YouTubers, best known for his prank videos, Beta Squad appearances, football-related content and his 2021 London mayor campaign.
The Manchester United captain is promoting the packet of sweets, not a boot advert, or a sports drink campaign, but a fast, unserious, internet-first style people expect from Niko.
The advert plays more like a short film than a normal product post, and it was posted on social media with the caption “who gave Bruno Fernandes my address?”
Niko is at home, the mood is tense, and Bruno appears almost like a horror-movie figure rather than a footballer doing a standard sponsorship.
Bruno is shown constantly knocking on Niko’s door, returning the special footballs in shades candies labelled as goals, with 1 being worth 1000 pounds.
Bruno says, “A goal for you, an assist for me”, while returning the candies, while Niko is telling Bruno that it is meant for the viewers and consumers, also asking Bruno, “How do you know where I live?” but never really getting an answer.
Bruno also acts surprisingly well in the advert, keeping a straight face, delivering his lines naturally, and does not look awkward on camera.
Viewers also picked up on that, with many praising how comfortable he looked in the sketch and joking that his deadpan delivery made the advert feel more convincing than a standard footballer cameo.
who gave Bruno Fernandes my address ? pic.twitter.com/ymXRTIlLn8
— NDL Ringside (@NikoOmilana) May 26, 2026
Shades is Niko’s confectionery brand, built around the sunglasses identity that has followed him throughout his YouTube career.
It launched with vegan and halal-certified sweets in flavours including ‘Straight Up Strawberry’, ‘Tropical Blast’ and ‘The Originals’.
Launched in 2025, the brand became a viral phenomenon and generated over £15M in its first year, and has also been stocked through major UK retailers including Sainsbury’s, Co-op, WH Smith Travel and Booker.
Bruno’s involvement is most likely a professional commercial arrangement rather than proof of a personal friendship.
Niko has a major young audience, a product in national retail, and a strong link to the football culture, while Bruno is a global footballer with image rights, agents and commercial opportunities around him.
Niko also recently presented Bruno with the Premier League Player of the Season award, which likely gave the crossover a natural starting point.
That does not mean they have a personal relationship, but it does show this was not completely out of nowhere.
A campaign like this can happen through the normal endorsement route: Niko’s team or the brand approaches Bruno’s representatives, the idea is approved, the fee is agreed, usage rights are cleared, and the content is filmed.
Bruno has long been connected with agent Miguel Pinho, whose agency, ‘Position Number’, became part of As1, a wider football representation business. That kind of setup is exactly how appearances like this are usually arranged.
The fee has not been disclosed, but an estimate can be made based on reports.
Because the ad was posted as a joint Instagram collab on both Niko and Bruno’s pages, the value is much higher than a simple cameo.
Public influencer-rate guides generally put mega/celebrity Instagram sponsorships in the $15,000 to $100,000+ range, with Reels, high engagement and wider usage rights pushing prices higher.
Bruno also brings more than a normal influencer profile: he is Manchester United’s captain, a Portugal international and one of the most recognisable players in the Premier League.
With his own Instagram distribution included, a realistic estimate would be closer to £75,000 to £150,000+, especially if the deal included usage rights for paid ads or wider campaign promotion.
While the exact fee and the nature of Bruno’s relationship with Niko are not certain, the reach of the ad is. Posted as a joint Instagram collab, the clip has already pulled in 1.8 million views on X and over 3 million on Instagram, putting Shades in front of both Niko’s creator audience and Bruno’s football audience at the same time.
