Place of birth Funchal, Portugal Name Bruno Fernandes 1986–1989 Uniao Madeira | Playing position Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |
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Full name Bruno Marcelo Pereira Fernandes Date of birth (1974-06-30) 30 June 1974 (age 41) | ||
Bruno Marcelo Pereira Fernandes (born 30 June 1974), known simply as Bruno, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Associação Desportiva Cultural e Recreativa Bairro da Argentina as a central midfielder.
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In a 19-year senior career he played for two clubs in his native region, Marítimo and Nacional, also representing Porto albeit with no success.
Football career
A graduate of local C.S. Marítimo's youth academy, Bruno was born in Funchal, and he made his debut with the first team in 1993 at the age of 19, but was soon loaned to Madeira neighbours A.D. Camacha. During the following seasons he worked his way into his hometown club's starting XI, and soon became a fan favourite in the role of playmaker; his goal against Leeds United in the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, a thundering 45-yard free kick, enabled for a 1–0 victory against the English (an aggregate of 1–3).
Subsequently, many top European clubs became interested in Bruno, as he earned a trial with Premier League's Newcastle United, which eventually fell through, and he stayed in Portugal, joining Primeira Liga side FC Porto in April 2002. However, the dream move proved a nightmare and he was soon loaned out to Marítimo during the second part of the season and to Moreirense F.C. for the entire following campaign, before signing for Marítimo neighbours C.D. Nacional in 2004–05.
After three seasons – in his first, he scored in a 4–2 win at Sporting Clube de Portugal on 22 May 2005 – which included two more UEFA Cup participations that brought first-round exits against Sevilla FC and FC Rapid Bucureşti, Bruno re-signed for a third spell with boyhood club Marítimo, on a free transfer.
After having contributed with 18 matches and two goals as Marítimo finished sixth in the 2009–10 campaign, thus returning to the Europa League, 36-year-old Bruno retired from football, amassing first division totals of 283 games and 21 goals. In the 2011 off-season, after one year out of football, he returned to active with another side in Madeira, Segunda Liga's C.F. União, only missing seven league contests during the season as the team finally retained its league status.