Fernandes started his career at Italian Serie B side Novara but soon made a move to Serie A side Udinese in , followed by Sampdoria three years later. After five years in Italy, he signed with Sporting CP in In —19 , he scored a record of 33 goals in all competitions, making him the highest-scoring Portuguese midfielder and the highest-scoring midfielder in Europe in a single season.
Fernandes is a former Portugal youth international , representing his country at under , under , under and under levels. He represented Portugal at the Summer Olympics. Fernandes was born in Maia , Metropolitan Area of Porto. Growing up, he supported Boavista and Manchester United. Fernandes began his youth career at local club Infesta. Growing up, Fernandes was offered a youth contract at Porto 's academy, but he went to local rivals Boavista, who offered him transportation to training, with his parents being unable to take him to Porto on daily basis.
On 27 August , he joined Novara in Italy. After his girlfriend moved to Italy, Fernandes quickly learned the language and began settling in the country, being nicknamed the " Maradona of Novara" and the "Mini Rui Costa ". In summer , Serie A clubs Inter Milan and Juventus wanted to sign him, but instead, Fernandes decided to sign for Udinese in a co-ownership deal , who promised him first-team opportunities.
On 16 August , Fernandes moved to Sampdoria on loan with an obligation to be signed permanently. On 15 May , Fernandes and several of his teammates, including coaches, were injured following an attack by around 50 Sporting supporters at the club's training ground after the team finished third in the league and missed out on Champions League qualification.
He scored seven goals in his first 10 appearances of the —20 season , including a run of scoring in six consecutive appearances. He made his debut on 1 February, playing the full 90 minutes of a goalless draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
