Bruno Fernandes doubles down on Portugal frustration with 'disappointed and sad' vow
Bruno Fernandes was part of the Portugal side who were dumped out of the World Cup by Spain and the Manchester United star has taken to social media to air his frustration
Bruno Fernandes confessed he was "sad, frustrated, and disappointed" after Portugal's World Cup exit, as he continued to underline that it was a missed opportunity.
The Portuguese saw their tournament hoped ended earlier this week as Spain scored a stoppage-time winner to advance from their last 16 clash. It bought the curtain down on Cristiano Ronaldo's hopes of ever winning a World Cup.
Fernandes headed to the tournament off the back of being named the Premier League's best player. He was joined by a number of other stellar individuals, with Portugal boasting something of a golden generation.
Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League winners, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Joao Neves were all part of the squad, as were the likes of Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva - but they still failed to get the job done as their underwhelming recent record at tournaments continued.
Fernandes said in a social media post. "This group of players raised my expectations high, not only because of their quality, but also because of the incredible team we've built over the years.
"Thank you to all the players, the coaching staff, and everyone who supported us and helped us every day during the World Cup. To all the Portuguese people, a big thank you for your support and belief."
Fernandes also blocked comments on the post on X. It comes after he refused to take any positives from their World Cup campaign - where they won just two of their five games. Ronaldo, meanwhile, claimed he left with he head held high after his success with Portugal whilst outgoing boss Roberto Martinez refused to entertain the loss as a failure.
Fernandes struck a different tone, as he said: "There's no point in talking about it now because we're out of the World Cup, but it was a missed opportunity. Every opportunity is a missed one because when we reach a World Cup, everyone wants to win. We're no different - it's been the same in every World Cup Portugal has participated in - but it was a missed opportunity."
"Obviously, we were eliminated by a great team - we lost to one of the favourites to win the World Cup, just as we were ourselves. The overall assessment can't be positive - it would only be if we'd made it to the end, and we didn't."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Shoppers can now upgrade to the Sky smart TV that's 'designed for football' from £6 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.
