HITM33

🚨 Carlos Baleba on Bruno Fernandes appearing to shout “fuck off” at him during Manchester United’s match against Roma: “I saw the video after the game and I understand why people thought Bruno was shouting at me. We were 2-0 down, I gave him the ball, he tried to shoot and it went over the bar. Then he turned in my direction and shouted, ‘Fuck off! Fuck off!’ But he wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to the ball. I’m serious. When I first arrived at United, I didn’t understand it either. I would hear him shouting and look around thinking somebody had done something wrong. Sometimes nobody had even touched him. He had just misplaced a pass. One day in training he tried to play a ball between two defenders. It went out. Immediately, ‘Fuck off!’ I asked him, ‘Bruno, who are you talking to?’ He said, ‘The ball.’ I said, ‘What did the ball do to you?’ He told me, ‘It knows where I wanted it to go.’ I couldn’t stop laughing. I told one of the boys, ‘I’ve never played with someone who argues with a football this much.’ He said, ‘You’ll get used to it.’ And that’s the funny thing about Bruno. People watching from outside see his arms going up, his face changing, him shouting, and they think he’s angry with his teammates. Sometimes he is frustrated with us, of course. He’s our captain. He demands things. But a lot of the time he’s more angry with himself than anyone else. Yesterday, after that shot, I looked at him and said, ‘Bruno, I made the pass. Why am I getting shouted at?’ He said, ‘Carlos, it’s not you. I’m not shouting at you!’ I told him, ‘Then at least face the goal when you’re insulting the ball. The cameras are going to get me into trouble.’ He laughed, even with us losing. But I want people to understand something about my relationship with Bruno, because it didn’t start when I joined Manchester United. Last season, when I was still at Brighton, we played against United. During the match we were talking to each other, little things you say when you’re competing. Afterwards he came over and we spoke properly. He asked me how I was finding things at Brighton, how I was developing. Then he said something I remembered. ‘You have the qualities to play at a big club. But don’t think talent is enough. You have to demand more from yourself every day.’ I joked, ‘Are you recruiting me?’ He smiled and said, ‘I’m just telling you what it takes.’ When I eventually arrived at United, he was one of the first people to make me feel comfortable. He didn’t behave like someone who had to prove he was the captain. He helped me understand where he wanted the ball, when to take risks, when to slow the game down. I remember making a mistake in one of my early sessions. I apologised, and he told me, ‘Don’t apologise for trying the right pass. Just make sure you try it properly next time.’ That’s Bruno. Of course, I tell him sometimes, ‘You know, you can be a little calmer.’ And he says, ‘I am calm.’ I say, ‘Bruno, you just shouted at a ball that isn’t even moving anymore.’ He tells me, ‘Then it should listen better.’ I don’t think I’ve met anyone who swears as much during a football match. But I’ve also rarely met someone who cares so much about every little detail, whether we’re winning or losing. We were all disappointed yesterday. Bruno was disappointed too. Nobody should pretend that being 2-0 down feels normal to us. But please, don’t turn a missed shot and two swear words into a problem between us. If Bruno is really angry with me, trust me, he will come and tell me. He won’t need a camera to deliver the message. And if you hear him shouting ‘fuck off’ again next week, look at where the ball is first. There’s a very good chance that’s who he’s arguing with.”