As well as being one of the team’s best performers, midfielder has become a talisman who is aware of the club’s spirit and traditions
T
he video of Bruno Fernandes kicking in the door is very good, if you haven’t already seen it. In a way, it explains a lot. His Sporting team are drawing 1‑1 at Boavista in 2019 and Fernandes has just been sent off for a fully deserved second yellow. As he stalks down the tunnel he takes furious aim at the two doors, the sheer force of the kick knocking him off his feet.
The doors make a magnificent shotgun sound, but do not yield. “Fuck you!” Fernandes shouts as Boavista security guards try to intervene. “I’ll pay for the fucking doors! Go fuck yourselves!”
Of course, you can read into this little vignette whatever you like. Probably nothing. Let’s not rule out “nothing” as a possibility here. Others will home in on the petulance, the coiled spiral of fury that even at the age of 31 still occasionally creeps into his game. Personally, I love the fact that even in his fog of pure, inchoate rage, Fernandes was still worried about the damage he was doing to the doors and already thinking about recompense.
