Cristiano Ronaldo pays heartfelt tribute to legendary scout responsible for discovering Man Utd duo

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The legendary scout responsible for identifying former Manchester United duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani has passed away aged 77.

Bruno Fernandes became the sixth Portuguese footballer to play for Manchester United after joining the club from Sporting CP in a deal initially worth £47 million in January 2020.

The Portuguese talisman is the only player from his homeland to be named United captain after the armband was handed to him by Erik ten Hag, having stripped Harry Maguire of the role.

While Fernandes gets most of the headlines at Old Trafford these days, five Portuguese players wore the famous United shirt before him. They include Bebe, Diogo Dalot, Nani, Joel Pereira and Cristiano Ronaldo.

United also had Portuguese influence from the dugout after Sir Alex Ferguson made Carlos Queiroz one of his coaches in June 2002. He would leave to replace Vincente del Bosque as Real Madrid manager a year later, only to return to Old Trafford 12 months on.

That was before Ruben Amorim became head coach and Jose Mourinho before him…

Scout who identified Manchester United duo passes away

Aurelio Pereira was renowned for his work as head of Sporting CP’s recruitment department, but the Portuguese club have confirmed that he passed away earlier today.

Two of the best talents Pereira is responsible for discovering include former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid legend Luis Figo.

Pereira was also credited for finding former United winger Nani, who established himself as one of the best wingers in the Premier League during his seven-year stint at Old Trafford.

However, the greatest player unearthed by Pereira has to be Ronaldo, who was one of the first to pay their respects on social media.

Taking to Instagram, Ronaldo wrote: “One of the great icons of world. Formation has left us but his legacy will live on forever.

“Will never stop being grateful for all he has done for me and so many other players. Forever, Lord Aurelius, thank you for everything. Rest in peace.”

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner won everything during his time at United, including three Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and two League Cups.

Ronaldo will go down as one of the greatest players to have ever played for United.

Portuguese players with most Man Utd appearances

Of the six Portuguese players to have represented Manchester United, nobody has made more appearances than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Two of them are still playing for United and could surpass Ronaldo’s appearance tally of 346, but it will take time because Fernandes is the closest on 279.

United are next in action on Thursday night, with Fernandes and Dalot expected to feature in the starting line-up.