Bruno Fernandes pays emotional tribute to wife Ana Pinho as Man Utd captain recalls cinema dates when he 'didn't have much money'

The Manchester United skipper walked down memory lane to revisit his teenage days when he romanced Ana on the streets of Portugal. They were classmates at a Boavista school and first met in 2012.

When Fernandes signed with United in 2020, Ana shifted base to Manchester to support her husband. She is a regular visitor at Old Trafford and does not miss many opportunities to cheer her partner.

In his column for The Players Tribune, Fernades wrote: "Ana has been with me on this ride since we were 16, 17, 18 years old. We met as teenagers, and when we first started dating, I wasn’t making any money as a footballer, and she had a nice job working as a futsal referee on the weekends. She used to do three or four matches in a row on a Saturday, and then we would always go to the cinema on Sundays.

"I personally didn’t have much money at the time so Ana was the one who had to pay for our movie tickets. Same with going out to dinner. Even at the pizza shop, she had to pay. When I moved to Italy at 17, I lived at the training ground for the first year, and then she followed me at 18 when she finished high school. From day one, we have pursued this dream together. So when I cried tears of joy, it was because of our entire history.

"[Ana, this memory is just for you…. Remember when the sporting director of Udinese called me when we were at the team dinner and told me that they didn’t want me anymore? Remember leaving the dinner, so embarrassed? Remember when I was crying in the hotel room? Remember what you told me? Keep going. This is your dream.] Look at where we are now…. The tough times, they have never broken us."

Ana might make the trip to Wembley to cheer for Fernandes in the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 25. It is a crucial game for the Red Devils as their European qualification hinges on the outcome of the match.