Former Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland has struck up a good rapport with his famous neighbour – who is none other than Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes.
The Portugal international held Ireland in very high regard when he was a young teenager blossoming in the game, to the point he had a poster of the former Republic of Ireland man on his bedroom wall.
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And if that wasn’t crazy enough, Fernandes also used to frequently sign Ireland on the popular simulation video game Football Manager.
“He told me that, as a kid, he had a poster of me,” Ireland told The Athletic.
“He said that when he played Football Manager he always signed me.
“I was like, ‘You had me on a poster? And, seriously, you sign me for Football Manager?’ I mean, how weird is that?”
The pair have got on like a house on fire, with Fernandes already offering to visit Ireland’s house for a kick about with his youngest son.
Ireland was on City’s books for five years before going on to have spells at Aston Villa, Newcastle and Stoke.
He joined Bolton in 2018, but left the club three months later having not make a single first-team appearance.
