He thinks of his parents, José and Virginia, a humble upbringing in Maia, a small industrial city near Porto. “What I’ve been taught by my mum and dad, the way they always tried to help everyone — it’s the main thing I want my kids to understand: if you are kind to someone, someone will be kind to you,” Fernandes says.

“We’re in a moment in the world where being kind is a little difficult. When you see someone trying to be kind, it’s sometimes to get some ‘likes’, some views and stuff. It’s not very genuine. [But] in Portugal, you still see a lot of young kids helping old people. Portuguese don’t allow the kids to become too big. You need to understand you need to earn the respect of people to then be respected.”