Bruno Fernandes has named the mentor of his penalty technique. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

'I got that from him' – Bruno Fernandes names mentor for his penalty technique

Originally posted on Stretty News | By Ahad Shaukat | Last updated Mar 23, 2025 4:09 AM ET

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is one of the best penalty takers in world football.

The Portuguese is known for being calm in pressure situations and his penalty technique is admired throughout the world.

He is a reliable option when it comes to taking penalties and has been possibly the best penalty taker in the history of the club.

In an interview with Inside United, Fernandes has revealed that the inspiration behind his penalty technique is not Cristiano Ronaldo but former Sampdoria colleague Fabio Quagliarella.

Fernandes played in the 2016-17 season with Quagliarella and stated that he learned how to study the movement of the goalkeepers from the attacker in order to have a better chance of conversion when it comes to penalties.

“Many of the penalty-takers, they have a side and they go there. They choose the side before, they go powerful and everything, and they still score. I don’t know, this was always something that I learned from [Fabio] Quagliarella, at the time I was in Sampdoria,” Fernandes said.

“He was always checking with the goalkeepers, what he should do, the way he kicked and everything because, obviously, he had a quick run-up and a very powerful shot. But he was always trying to understand the movements of the goalkeeper and everything and I got that from him.”

Bruno Fernandes is among the top penalty takers in the world

Fernandes has an outstanding penalty scoring record at Man United. The midfielder has scored 36 of his 40 penalties taken for the club, which is a better record than Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney, who are behing the United captain in second and third place in the club’s all time list.

Fernandes added: “When you take so many penalties, you need to change…because the goalkeepers start looking at you, study you and everything so, as they do that, I do the same as them.”

Whatever technique he adopts, as long as he is scoring goals for us, we are happy with his performances and his output for the club.

Man United planning summer move for Ballon d’Or contender but may have to pay £101m

This article first appeared on Stretty News and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: