Top 50 players at World Cup 2022, No. 24: Bruno Fernando's

FOX Sports soccer analyst and former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden is counting down the 50 best players participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Up next is …

Bruno Fernandes

Country: Portugal
Rank: 24
Rank in 2018: N/A
Position: Midfielder
Age: 28

Portugal will have two of the most gifted passers in the world leading their midfield at the World Cup. Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva is one of them; Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is the other.

Silva and Fernandes are the same age, but Fernandes’ breakout came a bit later than Silva’s, and as a result, he wasn’t as a big a factor for Portugal at the 2018 World Cup. Things are different now; Fernandes is a star in the Premier League and will be expected to play like one in Qatar.

“When it comes to skill, he’s up there with the best of them,”Holden said. “His ability to pass and create, and then also finish. His ability to finish from penalty kicks is a huge reason he’s one of my players to watch.”