In a heartwarming display of sportsmanship, Portuguese footballer and Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes, made headlines when he selflessly handed his Player of the Match award to Jonny Evans. This gracious gesture came after Manchester United secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday, September 23.
Fernandes earned the award by delivering a spectacular volley to secure the lone goal of the match against Burnley at Turf Moor. However, the spotlight also shone on Evans, who unexpectedly started the game. This marked his first Premier League start for Manchester United in eight years, a decision prompted by a defensive injury crisis at the club.
In a thrilling turn of events just moments before Fernandes scored his goal, Evans had the ball in the net. The Northern Ireland international rose above the rest to head in a corner. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed following a VAR review, which revealed his teammate, Rasmus Hojlund, was in an offside position and interfering with the goalkeeper.
Undeterred by this setback, Evans continued to make an impact on the game, even contributing an assist for Fernandes' decisive goal.
Despite being voted as the game's best player and receiving the Man of the Match Award, Bruno Fernandes believed that Jonny Evans deserved the recognition even more. Consequently, he chose to hand over the award to his deserving teammate.
Following the match, Evans expressed his joy, saying, "I loved every minute of it. Before the game you get a feeling, I couldn't wait, just pure excitement. That was my 200th game for Man Utd, I never thought I would ever reach that figure - the best night of my life." He also shared his journey back to Manchester United and how he embraced his role as a competition provider.
Manager Erik ten Hag praised the 35-year-old defender's performance, stating, "He showed personality. He was calm, composed, did everything right. Very good performance."