PortuGOAL Figure of the Week: Brace yourselves for SC Braga’s ‘Hurricane Roger’ Fernandes | OneFootball

The year is 2021. Carlos Carvalhal is the manager of Sporting Clube de Braga, who discovers that attacker Galeno is unavailable due to injury. He turns to the academy directors who insist “Mister, we want you to see this kid.” When analysing the training match the then 15-year-old Roger played in, Carvalhal began to realise the collective enthusiasm.

“I didn’t understand. He was doing everything I’d asked of him for the position. I wanted to correct something, but I had nothing to correct. Absolutely nothing,” he emphasised.

It was only a matter of time before the PortuGOAL Figure of the Week ended up ‘exploding’ and becoming a household name.

Kevin Fernandes profiles the Braga phenomenon whose brace gave the northerners a 2-0 win over Gil Vicente on Sunday.

Four years later, and Roger did everything right once again for Braga under Carvalhal.

Guinea-Bissau’s finest delivered an impeccable display versus Gil Vicente to draw Braga level with Porto in third place with 43 points. Not your typical performance evaluation of a 19-year-old.

It may not have been perfection in terms of finishing and overall aesthetics, but Roger demonstrated incredible maturity and intelligence in terms of anticipation and movement to fill the Bruma-sized hole left by Benfica’s latest attacking recruit.

Similarly to the approach taken by Porto with Rodrigo Mora, Roger Fernandes has been nurtured and protected by his club, avoiding the perils of overexposing and burdening Braga’s biggest talent.

From Bafatá to Braga

Roger Fernandes made his professional debut in the 2021 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, a 2–1 loss to Sporting on 31 July 2021. At 15 years, 8 months and 12 days, Fernandes is the youngest ever participant in the traditional season-opening match. He broke the same record that stood in 88 years of Portugal’s top flight, and is also the second youngest player ever to represent the Arsenalistas.

Emotional first goal

His first goal came in another cup competition, the Taça de Portugal, against district level side Moitense. Tears came with the occasion for the boy who had recently lost his father.

“A boy in those circumstances needed some affection, a moment. And that was a special moment, I have to say. There’s a connection because I gave him his chance, but I did it because he deserved it,” Carvalhal told Sky Sports in a heartfelt manner.

Circumstances have always been tough for Roger. Upon signing his first professional contract as a ‘Gverreiro’, Roger revealed that “I hadn't played for two years (due to documentation/registration issues), I had no money to buy clothes or food. Braga helped me, they fed and clothed me, so I never thought of giving up. I went to every training session as if it were my last, with joy and a smile on my face. I gave it my all, because I knew that if one day I had the papers to play I’d be ready.”

In fact, Roger’s mother couldn’t even watch his son’s matches until December 2023. Now, two rooms are prepared to host on matchday as “the whole neighbourhood stops to watch Braga.”

Football family

The cousin of fellow wide attacking prospects Joelson (ex-Sporting) and Saná (Lázio) is representing the Fernandes name with honour. The collective passion stems from childhood, from an early age.

In Bafatá, Guinea-Bissau, Roger would play football straight after his classes until the early hours of the evening. The next day he’d remember that he needs clean uniform, so he’d get up in the morning, put it in water to get the dirt off, and shake all the way back to school to dry it. It wouldn’t dry completely, but he’d “manage”, Roger told Pod’Next, Braga’s official club podcast.

The difference in realities from Bafatá to Braga were stark. Roger made the arduous trip at 13 years of age. He hadn’t ever eaten Chocapic cereal, a staple of Portuguese childhoods. Milk was a luxury afforded only once a month, Roger recollected. His first salary went to his mother, after Roger instructed Hugo Vieira (Academy Coordinator) to send it directly to the person who “needed it more than him,” as ZeroZero reported.

With this support, alongside his hard-working attitude, success was inevitable. Roger Fernandes would also become the youngest Portuguese player to play in European competition and the youngest to score a brace in Liga Portugal, while he has also been called up to represent Guinea-Bissau internationally.

The hindrances were inevitable. Despite contributing to ten goals in little over 1000 minutes, Roger Fernandes finished the 2023/24 season with the Under-23 squad in the Liga Revelação due to a contractual dispute. Braga president António Salvador called his representatives ‘traitors’, but the altercation was surpassed and Roger would start 2024/25 with his new contract, until 2028, with a release clause of 40 million euros.

Tactically astute, technically strong winger? Roger that.

In 2023, Roger was the architect of another late Braga comeback, providing two cutting edge assists for a 2-1 win against Rio Ave. He was questioned regarding the prevalence of his role, but responded, as always, with humility and maturity.

“I’m in no rush to be a starter. I’m in a rush to learn from my teammates, to play alongside Moutinho, Fonte who are players I watched win Euro 2016 on TV.” This defines Roger Fernandes.

Although a high-volume dribbler and undeniable 1x1 specialist, Roger stands alone for an attacking weapon of his ilk in terms of defensive contribution.

Roger averages 1.04 interceptions, 5.70 ball recoveries, 1.46 recoveries of possession in the opposition final third, 1.04 tackles won and 6.19 duels won per Liga Portugal match. His engagement. Desire and diligence without possession is second-to-none for his archetype and age bracket, demonstrating irreproachable fundamentals. Consistent minutes as a left-sided defender have given him impressive positional understanding with conscient awareness of spacing.

His physicality can be overlooked. Despite his diminutive stature, Roger is relatively robust with a stubborn nature. His engine allows him to cover acres, coupled with his explosivity and agility to impact proceedings in both danger zones.

Timely, springing darting shifts to create separation are a speciality of the ‘Gverreiro do Minho’ who is more proficient with space to operate, being considerably less refined and coordinated in tight spaces at this stage of his premature career. Roger loves cutting in from the touchline, wreaking havoc with the threat of his left-foot.

23 successful dribbles, 51 touches in the opposition box, 17 successful crosses and 23 chances created in 1295 minutes speak for themselves. These are upper echelon numbers in Liga Portugal, especially considering Roger’s regular utilizations as a defender.

From these deeper zones, Roger showcases his impressive passing range and ability to progressively carry the ball effectively. His arsenal as a creator is extensive. His execution needs improvement in the final 18 yards, where Roger shows his age and lack of clarity, often enjoying more success with efforts from distance.

Trajectories aren’t always linear. The PortuGOAL Figure of the Week is destined for great things.