Bruno Fernandes is going to the World Cup with Portugal after they qualified in style.
Portugal booked their place at World Cup 2026 with a 9-1 victory over Armenia. Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick, his second of 2025, following his treble for Manchester United against Real Sociedad earlier this year.
Fernandes’ goals came from an attacking midfield role, reigniting the debate over his best position.
The goals have also shot Fernandes even higher in the Portugal top 10 all-time scoring list.
Portugal’s all-time top scorers
Bruno Fernandes‘ hat-trick saw him score his first goals for Portugal in 12 months, his previous strike was last November against Poland in the UEFA Nations League.
The goals were his first of the World Cup qualifying campaign, and have seen him climb from ninth to sixth in Portugal’s all-time scorers list.
Fernandes overtook Rui Costa and Helder Postiga. His 28 international goals are one short of fifth-ranked Nuno Gomes.
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 143 | 226 |
| 2 | Pauleta | 47 | 88 |
| 3 | Eusébio | 41 | 64 |
| 4 | Luís Figo | 32 | 127 |
| 5 | Nuno Gomes | 29 | 79 |
| 6 | Bruno Fernandes | 28 | 85 |
| 7 | Hélder Postiga | 27 | 71 |
| 8 | Rui Costa | 26 | 94 |
| 9 | Nani | 24 | 112 |
| 10 | João Pinto | 23 | 81 |
Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is the Portugal all-time top scorer with 143 goals, the most by any international player ever.
Ronaldo missed out on the goal glut against Armenia due to suspension after a red card against the Republic of Ireland in the previous qualifier.
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Fernandes now returns to United with a week to prepare
Portugal’s international break is now over, and Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot can both return to Manchester.
They will be among the first international players back in training at Carrington, with some games extending into Tuesday or overnight into Wednesday.
The good news is Manchester United do not play until the following Monday night, hosting Everton at Old Trafford. That’s plenty of time for the returning players to get back up to speed.
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A refreshed and super-confident Fernandes will be a major asset for United against Everton.
He is looking for his first goal for United since the strike against Chelsea in September, his 100th for the club.
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