Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, for example, were snapped up by the Reds shortly after breaking through at Sporting Lisbon, their first senior club. Current full-back Diogo Dalot, meanwhile, signed on the back of a handful of appearances for Porto.
While Fernandes came through at one of Porto’s city rivals Boavista, it was in Italy he made his breakthrough, with Serie B club Novara.
Aged just 17 when he moved in August 2012, Bruno initially suffered from homesickness, but after teaching himself Italian, he grew into his new environment, helping the Blues to fifth position before joining Udinese in Italy's top tier.