Man Utd's Bruno Fernandes says why Ronaldo key for Portugal's dream of winning World Cup

Bruno Fernandes says how Cristiano Ronaldo can still be key for Portugal as he dreams of winning the World Cup.

The Manchester United captain was instrumental in the Reds finishing third in the Premier League and now he is focused on helping Portugal to success in the World Cup.

For many he is now the key man in the Portugal squad having come out of the shadows of Ronaldo, who at 41 is a long way from his best.

Portugal take on the Congo in their first game with aspirations of winning the World Cup for the first time.

"The dream is to be world champions," says Fernandes.

"The key is to focus on what we can do to change the fact that Portugal have never won it and become the first side to bring the coveted World Cup back home."

And while Ronaldo does not exert the same influence on the side as before, Fernandes believes his role can still be crucial.

"It's a huge privilege for us to have Cristiano as a compatriot, a teammate and a player who can take us closer to winning the World Cup," said Fernandes.

"I think we can always learn from him. He's shown his resilience throughout his career.

"He has that winning mentality, he is never satisfied with what he's achieved, and he always strives for more. Those are all such positive qualities we've taken from his career."

Fernandes has always said how much he has looked up to Ronaldo from when he was a child and saw him triumph first at United.

"He is Portuguese and everyone from 2000 -- I was born in 1994 -- from that age upwards, everyone was looking at him and seeing him," Fernandes told ManUtd.com.

"He won the Ballon d'Or with the club, which was something very special. All the fans here, when he came back, will never forget that day, when he comes back against Newcastle.

"It was an unforgettable day. He comes back, scores two goals and looks like he never left and everything. The atmosphere in the stadium was crazy that day, probably the best one I have experienced.

"Just the fact of Cristiano coming back, not the rest, but what was created around that, him getting into the pitch, the way he was presented, everything gives goosebumps still to me."

Ronaldo made his second United debut on September 11, 2021, scoring his side's first two goals in a 4-1 Premier League home victory over the Magpies.

Ronaldo's world-record 228 senior international appearances confirm his legendary status in the game, but also provide those following in his footsteps with a blueprint for what is required to achieve success on a sustained basis.

Fernandes said: "The fact he's managed to play for 20 years shows that all of that was, and still is, necessary to perform at the highest level for so long.

"Those factors go hand in hand with the talent he's shown over the years.

"More than anything, I hope he can replicate that with us at the World Cup, helping us as he's always done, scoring more goals and taking us closer to our objective."