Bruno Fernandes "exploded" when former Premier League referee Graham Scott attempted to break the ice with the Manchester United star. Since his arrival in England, Fernandes has rarely been shy about making his feelings known on the pitch.
This could be by either confronting a referee, throwing his arms in the air or remonstrating over a decision he feels has gone against him. Recognising this, Scott tried to disarm the Portugal midfielder with humour before refereeing him for the first time in 2022.
Icebreaker backfires
"It was straight after the Qatar World Cup," Scott explained on the Under The Cosh podcast. "We always have this thing where we're waiting in the tunnel.
"We're always standing there for ages waiting for the TV director to say off you go. Bruno was there and I thought I better have an icebreaker with him because I hadn't met him before."
So I just said, 'Bruno, referees at the World Cup, I assume they were better than Premier League refs?' And he just exploded: 'They were all terrible, they are the worst referees, we had the worst referees!'
Fernandes' response
"So I said, 'Well thank you very much. So Premier League referees aren't so bad then?' And he said, 'Well ask me again in a couple of hours.' And in fairness, that day he was great. Well they [United] won, which always helps."
He added: "I think some refs fail to do this - to humanise the relationship [with players]. We're all people. We've all got our jobs to do. It helps if we break down those barriers a little bit."
Scott's career and Fernandes' form
Scott, 57, called time on his refereeing career last year after a decade in the Premier League, having officiated in the top flight from 2015 to 2025.
Fernandes, who joined United from Sporting in 2020, has been a revelation for the club. In six-and-a-half seasons, he's registered over 100 goals and 100 assists in just over 300 appearances, cementing him as one of the most impactful midfielders of his generation.
The 31-year-old was crowned Premier League Player of the Season in May after he notched up a record-breaking 21 Premier League assists. In doing so, he became the first United player to win the award since Nemanja Vidic in 2011. Michael Carrick's side begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign on Saturday with a trip to newly promoted Hull City.
