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The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Bruno Fernandes: Roy Keane Twisted My Words. They Offered Me £200M, I Said No.

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

FlightStory

Business, Education, Society & Culture

4.517.8K Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2026

⏱️ 95 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes reveals what happened the night his agent called with the news that United wanted him, how the club is rebuilding its winning culture, what great management and leadership actually looks like, and what really happened with the Roy Keane criticism .  Bruno Fernandes is the captain of Manchester United and one of the most driven midfielders of his generation. Since joining in 2020, he has scored 108 goals in 328 appearances, won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award a record 5 times, and equalled the Premier League's all-time single-season assist record with 20 assists this season. He explains:  ◼ How his father's parenting style shaped him into the player and person he is today ◼ How growing up playing against boys five years older than him made him fearless ◼ What he said to Harry Maguire the moment he was handed the captain's armband ◼ Why taking risks is one of the most important things he does on a pitch ◼ Why he turned down a reported £200 million offer to leave Manchester United 00:00 Intro 02:09 How Bruno Learned His Winning Mentality From His Father 05:23 Why Bruno Was Already Different at 5 Years Old 08:16 How Francesco Guidolin Helped Shape Bruno’s Career 11:40 What Bruno Really Dreamed About at 18 12:06 Why Tottenham Nearly Signed Bruno 13:45 The Moment Bruno Found Out Manchester United Wanted Him 21:51 How Football Culture Has Changed Inside the Game 32:14 Social Media and Footballers' Interactions 35:12 Why Bruno Believes Every Manager Deserves Backing 36:51 What Actually Makes a Great Football Manager 37:30 How Bruno Treats Players 39:32 What Happens Inside the Dressing Room During Bad Runs 42:43 The Key Change Michael Brought to Manchester United 47:59 Why Bruno Thinks Taking Risks Is Essential 54:06 Ads 54:37 The Position Bruno Loves Playing Most 58:35 Bruno Never Seems to Get Tired 1:00:08 What Being Manchester United Captain Really Means to Bruno 1:03:20 Why This Season Feels Different for Bruno 1:05:16 Bruno Responds to Roy Keane’s Criticism 1:10:09 The Emotional Voicemails Bruno Received From Teammates 1:14:07 Why Being Human Matters More Than Football to Bruno 1:17:56 Ads 1:18:32 Why Bruno Rejected Huge Offers to Leave Manchester United 1:22:09 The Importance of Family For Bruno 1:30:06 What Must Change for United to Compete for Titles Again 1:31:19 Bruno’s Definition of Success Five Years From Now Follow Bruno: Instagram - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/Bh3r8R7 X - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/GGhEBj3  Facebook - https://link.thediaryofaceo.com/4IPRmSU The Diary Of A CEO: ◼ Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/  ◼ Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook  ◼ The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt  ◼ The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards: https://linkly.link/2io2A  ◼ Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt  ◼ Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb  Sponsors: LinkedIn Marketing - https://www.linkedin.com/DIARY   Bon Charge: https://boncharge.com/DOAC for 20% off Vanta - https://vanta.com/steven

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

In the football career you go through a lot ups and downs and a lot of difficult moments.

0:07.0

And let's say the ones that suffered most of family.

0:12.0

Ah, fuck you.

0:16.0

They see your good moments, your bad moments,

0:20.9

your good side, your bad side also.

0:23.8

But they always stand by you.

0:26.9

Your time at Manchester night's been a bit of a roller coaster like this.

0:29.4

And so on that day when you get a big offer to leave Manchester United

0:31.9

for a contract that was worth reportedly $200 million,

0:36.2

why didn't you go?

0:39.2

It's Captain Fantastic!

0:41.6

Manchester United's captain, Bruno Fernandez, has arguably become their greatest player

0:47.5

in the post-Fergusen era.

0:49.4

There isn't a single player in the Premier League who has more assists since his arrival.

0:55.1

He's won more Club Player of the Year awards than Ronaldo, and only five players have scored

1:00.6

more than his 70 league goals.

1:03.8

So I'm at the Manchester United Training Ground to ask him the questions the footballing

1:08.2

world wants to know, including...

1:10.7

Recently, Roy Keene criticized your

1:12.4

mentality based on a quote he claimed you said. How did you respond to that?

1:16.1

He came criticizing me, killing me, say that I'm not good enough, that I'm not a good

1:19.9

captain, that I'm not a good player for the club. It's okay. I don't mind. What I don't like

...

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