How Did Bruno Fernandes Become Manchester United's Penalty King?

Muhe - Friday, 15 August 2025 | 11:00 AM (WIB)

How Did Bruno Fernandes Become Manchester United's Penalty King?

90 MIN FOOTBALL - Being a penalty taker may seem easy, but it actually has its own challenges. Mental readiness and vision are crucial when a footballer is trusted to take a penalty, especially if the penalty is in a crucial match.
However, for Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, penalties are like a daily occurrence. The Portuguese player is widely known as one of the most skilled penalty takers.
In the pre-season tour ahead of the 2025/2026 season, Fernandes scored two goals for Manchester United from the penalty spot. He has worked hard to hone his technique as a penalty taker.
In the recent match against Fiorentina at Old Trafford, he was one of the successful penalty takers. In the two matches against West Ham and Everton, he scored one goal each during the pre-season tour.
The Reds fans seemed unconcerned when Fernandes was about to take a penalty. The captain remained calm and exuded confidence in such situations.
So, what are Fernandes' Premier League penalty-taking stats? Statistics show that he's the best penalty-taker in the world's top league.
He's scored 22 penalties in the Premier League, surpassing captain Ruud van Nistelrooy and the all-time leading scorer, Wayne Rooney.

PREMIER LEAGUE PENALTY GOALS

1. Bruno Fernandes - 222. Wayne Rooney - 203. Ruud van Nistelrooy - 184. Eric Cantona - 144. Cristiano Ronaldo - 146. Marcus Rashford - 87. Denis Irwin - 77. Paul Pogba - 79. Robin van Persie - 610. Louis Saha - 4
Fernandes is indeed the best at taking the ball into the opponent's goal from the penalty spot, but not in terms of success rate. Two former United players, Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo, also have reputations as reliable penalty takers.
Their records are identical, scoring 14 out of 16 in the division.

PENALTIES SUCCESS-RATE IN PREMIER LEAGUE

1. Eric Cantona - 14/16 = 87.5%1. Cristiano Ronaldo - 14/16 = 87.5%3. Bruno Fernandes - 22/26 = 84.6%4. Ruud van Nistelrooy - 18/22 = 81.8%5. Marcus Rashford - 8/10 = 80%6. Wayne Rooney - 20/28 = 71.4%7. Paul Pogba - 7/11 = 63.6%
Fernandes is known for his love of challenges, so it's possible he could change his penalty success rate. He could become United's penalty king in the near future.
It's also worth noting that Fernandes has also converted numerous penalties in other competitions. For example, his last four penalties have come in the Europa League (excluding friendlies), and he has scored all four.***