Bruno Fernandes moves further clear of Cristiano Ronaldo to break Manchester United record after 2-0 Everton win
During a 2-0 victory over Everton on March 9, Bruno Fernandes extended the gap between himself and Cristiano Ronaldo while breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record to become Manchester United's leading penalty scorer.
At Old Trafford, Alejandro Garnacho was fouled twice by Everton players, which resulted in two penalties for United. The first penalty was awarded for a foul by James Tarkowski, and Fernandes converted, crossing the penalty milestone for the Red Devils. With this goal, he surpassed Van Nistelrooy (28), having now scored his 29th penalty for the club.
The Toffees made another mistake, with Ben Godfrey fouling Garnacho in the box. This time, though, Fernandes asked Marcus Rashford to take the spot-kick. The winger went on to score, ensuring the victory for the Red Devils.
Fernandes has contributed significantly (72 goals and 63 assists in 222 games) since joining the squad in February 2020, particularly with his exceptional penalty-taking abilities. The playmaker has been one of the best players at Old Trafford in recent years, and his quality as a penalty specialist has led him to surpass players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The legendary Portuguese forward has scored a total of 161 penalties across his career, missing a mere 29. However, for United, Ronaldo scored 21 goals from 12 yards.
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United caused problems for sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that it was a mistake to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. August 2021 saw the legendary goalscorer's comeback to the team under Solskjaer's direction.
Although many welcomed Ronaldo's return, there were soon unanticipated problems with Manchester United's unity. The squad moved from being second in the league to suffering multiple significant losses, which led to Solskjaer's dismissal.
The Norwegian manager recently revealed to Gary Neville and Roy Keane on the Stick to Football show that he struggled to accommodate Ronaldo in the team. He said (via Independent):
“With the ball, with him in the team, it was no problem. Without him, we had to change a little bit the different roles we’d gotten used to. We were one of the highest pressing teams before. We let Dan James go when Cristiano came in, and they’re two different types of players. It was the right decision to make for me. It didn’t turn out to be the right one.”
Cristiano Ronaldo had several difficulties during his second stint with Manchester United. Following a brief period of initial excitement, issues started to arise. He publicly attacked the club's administration and manager Erik ten Hag in a contentious interview with Piers Morgan. Soon after, his contract was mutually terminated and he left the Theater of Dreams for the Middle East.