Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 303: Breaking the Serie A Single-Season Goal Record

On the afternoon of April 10, 2016, at 3:00 PM local Italian time, Udinese faced Sampdoria at the Ferraris Stadium in the 32nd round of Serie A.

From the start, Udinese played aggressively, pushing forward and trying to dominate the game. However, Sampdoria was well-prepared, not only defending actively but also launching a sharp counterattack in the seventh minute to score the first goal.

Before the match, Sampdoria's head coach Vincenzo Montella publicly stated that his team would do everything to stop Bruno. Nicknamed "Aeroplanino," Montella was a renowned striker in Serie A during his playing days, scoring 141 league goals and helping Roma win the Serie A title in the 1999-2000 season.

Montella's coaching career had also been quite successful, especially during his tenure at Fiorentina, where he led the team to European competitions and the Europa League semi-finals last season. However, he was dismissed in the summer due to a fallout with the club's president. Montella took over Sampdoria in mid-November, replacing the sacked Walter Zenga, and his first match in charge was a 0-2 defeat to Udinese, in which Bruno scored a penalty.

Montella's team made a surprising start in this match.

...

Despite conceding first, Udinese remained calm and composed. Bruno also did not rush to score or equalize immediately. Instead, he calmed his teammates down, signaling everyone to stay cool and composed.

Udinese controlled the game, patiently organizing and creating chances. In Serie A, Udinese had absolute confidence.

In the 20th minute, Bruno suddenly retreated from the front line, received the ball with his back to goal, passed it back to Badu, and then quickly moved forward. Badu understood his intention and sent an overhead pass into the penalty area.

Bruno accelerated, leaving all defenders behind. He entered the penalty area, and before the advancing goalkeeper Viviano could react, Bruno lobbed the ball over him into the net.

The entire goal sequence was simple yet highly effective.

1-1!

This was Bruno's 35th goal of the season, tying the single-season record set by Nordahl in the 1949-1950 season!

Nordahl, AC Milan's legendary striker, set the record in 37 games, and it had stood for 66 years. But today, it was tied by a midfielder in just 32 matches!

...

The first half ended with the score tied at 1-1.

After the break, Guidolin adjusted Udinese's tactics, launching a wave of attacks right from the start. Bruno assisted Di Natale in scoring to take the lead.

Leading 2-1, Udinese kept pushing forward. From the start of the second half, Bruno took on the task of drawing defenders to create space for his teammates. His intention was clear: to help the team score and overturn Sampdoria's lead.

Despite the monumental record looming, Bruno stayed focused and calm. This attitude earned him immense respect from his teammates, who also benefited from his play. Bruno's generosity off the field, often treating the team to meals and gifts, along with his role as the team's vice-captain, made him well-liked. As a result, after securing a 2-1 lead, everyone wanted to help Bruno break the record.

Guidolin also wanted to see Bruno achieve this milestone. It would be an honor for him as a coach to have a player set the record for the most goals in a single Serie A season.

Guidolin substituted Immobile for Di Natale, knowing the younger player had better stamina and a stronger impact.

The substitution paid off quickly. Ten minutes after coming on, Immobile received the ball on the right, turned near the edge of the penalty area, and drove into the box before crossing it.

Bruno, who had switched positions with Immobile and moved to the center, perfectly timed his run, arriving just in time to slot the ball into the left corner.

Bruno was ecstatic after scoring, leaping onto Immobile in celebration.

He did it!

He broke Nordahl's 66-year-old record!

36 goals in a single season!

Bruno had surpassed Nordahl to become the player with the most goals in a single Serie A season!

Bruno was overjoyed! After getting down from Immobile, he hugged each of his teammates, then ran to the sidelines to embrace Guidolin, Portoluzzi, and the entire bench.

He then bowed to the away fans in the stands, receiving thunderous applause and cheers. Even Sampdoria's home fans applauded him.

Everyone knew this might be his last season in Serie A. Over the past three years, they had witnessed Bruno grow from a rookie to a European star. Now, he was leaving.

The TV broadcast even showed many Udinese fans in tears. Surprisingly, no one asked him to stay, not even the crying fans, because they knew Bruno was leaving to seek a bigger stage and higher challenges. Perhaps, many years later, when he was older, he would return like other legendary players.

...

Surpassing a Legend!

After the match, almost every newspaper in Italy highlighted Bruno's record-breaking performance.

His two goals had surpassed Nordahl, making him the highest-scoring player in a single Serie A season. With six games left in the season, everything was still to play for.

Gazzetta dello Sport praised Bruno extensively, stating that he had created miracles in consecutive seasons.

"Last season, he won the Serie A Golden Boot as a midfielder, which was already surprising enough. This season, he broke Nordahl's historical record."

"We cannot find any words to describe him, but he has brought so much shock and excitement to all of us and the entire Italian football world. He has a magical power that makes people want to worship him."

"Sampdoria's head coach Montella, who vowed to stop Bruno before the match, had to admit after the game that they couldn't stop him. They tried their best, but Bruno was unstoppable."

Corriere della Sera also featured Bruno's record-breaking news on the front page, along with praise from various figures in European football.

Italy's national team coach, Antonio Conte, said he was not surprised by Bruno's achievements.

"Guidolin is an excellent coach who has unwavering trust in Bruno, so I have no doubt about Bruno's achievements today. I am even looking forward to seeing him score more goals in the remaining matches of the season, setting new heights for the record!"

Portugal's national team coach, Santos, also praised Bruno in an interview with Corriere della Sera. Santos said Bruno was the most professional player he had ever seen and worked extremely hard.

"He always shows through his actions that he is a player any coach can fully trust, not just with his goals but in all aspects. He is a born leader."

...

Three days later, in Madrid, Spain, at the Calderón Stadium.

Three days were not enough for Udinese to recover their best form. Without Bruno, Udinese seemed like a car without an engine, eventually losing 0-2 at the Calderón, falling short of reaching the semi-finals.

Griezmann, who was lackluster in the first leg at Friuli Stadium, shone in this match, scoring twice.

Bruno watched the entire game from the stands, feeling helpless as his team was defeated. It was a bitter experience.

Rationally, he knew reaching the quarter-finals and losing to Atlético was a satisfactory result. But emotionally, he hated losing, especially in a situation where he could only watch from the stands, unable to help.

After the match, in interviews with Italian and Spanish media, Bruno admitted that Atlético deserved the win.

"If I have anything to say, it's that I will be back!"

After that, Bruno didn't say much more. He hurried back to the locker room to console his teammates. After all, they still had the Serie A title to fight for.

(End of Chapter)

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