Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes used a “room covered with post-it notes” to learn Italian in his early days as a footballer, according to former Novara academy chief Mauro Borghetti.
Borghetti scouted Fernandes as a 17-year-old and brought him from Boavista to Italian side Novara, who now reside in Serie C.
And he recalls how the Portugal international managed to learn Italian in two months and was playing in the first team within six months.
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“At the time I was in charge of the youth sector, so I left Novara and I went to see him play. It was a Saturday afternoon,” Borghetti told Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
“I remember personality and unscrupulousness. He played a normal game with older kids. Bruno is a ’94, the others ’93.
“I know there were other teams, but I don’t think they liked him. Maybe we were more reckless than others, who knows, so we bought him for 40 thousand euros.
“He learned the language in two months. He had a room covered with post-it notes with the sentences in Italian, he walked around the room and repeated.
“I remember the first home match against Sampdoria’s Primavera. Nutmeg, outside kicks, back-heels, even a rabona. You always expected something exceptional, so much so that after six months among the youngsters he moved to the first team in Serie B.”
In another interview with Football Italia back in November, Borghetti insists that the Man Utd midfielder has stayed humble despite his fame and fortune.
“Above all, he had a great personality which is what distinguishes him now that he is playing football at top levels,” Borghetti said. “As far as I know, we were the only club that wanted to sign him at that time and he immediately accepted our offer.
“He worked hard, trying to learn Italian right away, he joined the group and was immediately welcomed because he was able to establish good relationships with his team-mates.
“He had excellent relations with all the figures inside Novarello. Sometimes his mother or his girlfriend came to visit him. He was a person of some depth. Notoriety and celebrity haven’t changed him.”
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