‘I’m going to kill you’ – Bruno Fernandes hilariously reacts to Juan Mata’s brutal throwback
Bruno Fernandes had plenty of greetings for his birthday, but one stood out above the rest for hilarious reasons.
The Manchester United captain turned 31, and on Instagram shared well wishes from current and former teammates as well as various friends.
But it was his former Red Devil colleague Juan Mata who caused the most laughter with a throwback to a young, goofy and long-haired Fernandes.
Captioning the image, he wrote in Spanish: “Happy Birthday, I love you and miss you.”
Even the kind words weren’t enough to sooth Fernandes’ embarrassment, as he replied: “I’m going to kill you with some laughing emojis.
Teammates like Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte also sent messages, as did Harry Maguire – the man he took the captain’s armband from at Old Trafford in 2023.
There were also a number of other fellow teammates who sent messages, with the most noticeable among them the recently sold Alejandro Garnacho.
The United academy graduate left Manchester for Chelsea on August 30 in a £40million switch.
Sending a heartfelt message to his former teammate, he wrote: “Thanks for everything you did for me I love you.”
Showing just how loved the often divisive Fernandes is, Jadon Sancho, who’s now on loan at Aston Villa, wrote: “Harry birthday brother, have a good day!”
Everyone loves Juan Mata
Mata will have undoubtedly given them all a laugh, with the Spaniard universally loved at every club he played for.
Currently still in action in Australia for Western Sydney Wanderers, the former Real Madrid academy prospect played a massive 278 Premier League games, scoring 52 goals and racking up 54 assists.
He did so initially with Chelsea from 2011 to 2014 having made his name at traditional Spanish side Valencia.
There he won the club’s first Champions League in 2012 and he also added a Europa League and FA Cup.
After that he switched to Manchester United in January 2014 for £37million – a club record at the time.
Mata’s 285 appearances for the club was the most for any team he played for, and he collected another FA Cup and Europa League.
Fernandes and Mata’s United friendship
Joined by Fernandes in 2020, the pair of friends played together 37 times before the Spaniard left for Galatasaray in 2022.
Despite their strong relationship, the most notable moment from their time together was a 2021 Europa League final defeat to Villarreal.
Upon Mata’s departure, his No.8 shirt became available, and Fernandes took it, having worn it for Sporting and Portugal, and even having a tattoo of the number on his arm.
Responding to the news on social media at the time, Mata joked: “He told me he was sad the day he found out we wouldn’t continue playing together, but I think he was very happy.”
Before that he opened up on his relationship with Fernandes, telling the club’s website: “When I see him in the morning I sing the song the fans wrote for him, ‘Bruno, Bruno’, so I think he’s happy with my good mornings.
“He’s a fantastic guy, we’ve become very close and he’s obviously a great player. He’s been doing really well.”
Fernandes also cited his friendship with Mata when responding to criticism from talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor.
The Aston Villa great labelled Fernandes ‘the worst teammate’ at United in 2022, and the Portuguese later responded.
“Honestly, it’s not something that worries me much. He’s never played with me, he doesn’t know what I’m like,” Fernandes said.
“Just yesterday, I told my wife, who told me about that interview, and I said, ‘You know what reassures me?’ Two days ago, someone named Juan Mata, a World Cup champion, a European Cup winner, a Champions League winner, all in England, told me, ‘You were one of the best people I’ve ever met in football, keep it up, be yourself, with that honesty, that hard work.’
“If someone says that… you know how I am. Annoying, because I’m demanding, but because I’m demanding of myself and I also demand it of others.”
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