Tо say that Fernandes has repaid Rоbertо Martinez’s faith in him by cоnsistently prоducing near perfectiоn whenever he dоns the legendary jersey wоuld be an understatement.

After Harry Maguire’s disappointing first season as captain, Erik ten Hag opted to replace him with the former Sporting captain during the summer.

The beginning of the season for Fernandes’ club team has been less than stellar, but he has been one of Portugal’s greatest performers, and that continued this week in their 3-2 victory over Slovakia.

The first goal of the game, scored by Goncalo Ramos, and the game-winning goal, scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, were both assisted by Fernandes.

With Portugal’s sixth win in a row, it’s time to take a deeper look at Fernandes’ efforts in the Euro 2024 qualifiers and see just how important he’s been to their campaign.

As can be seen in the graph provided by the statistics website Squawka, Fernandes is currently leading the competition in both goals and assists.

He has set up 29 shots for his teammates and the most scoring opportunities (9). The midfielder’s seven assists are the most in the qualifications, and they’re all the result of his adroit playmaking in the last third of the field.

Since Portugal has already secured its spot in the championship next summer, Fernandes may be rested for forthcoming matches. Still a key cog for his club, Ten Hag rarely gives him a day off.