Brighton & Hove Albion defender Bruno stressed that promotion to the Premier League with the Seagulls has been the highlight of his career so far.
The Spanish full-back put pen to paper on a new one-year contract extension on Tuesday afternoon to keep him at the club until at least June 2019, and he admitted that last season’s achievements were his proudest as a footballer to date.
He said, “Promotion with this club was the highlight of my career – I’ve been quite lucky with the fact that I’ve played at a high level and won a few of them, but it was the best for me with Brighton & Hove Albion.
“It meant so much to the club and the city and I had a responsibility as a captain.
“The season that we had before made it even sweeter, we came back so strongly and that was difficult, but it’s one of the most special times of my life.”
When the former Valencia man moved to the south coast in 2012, he was one of five Spanish faces inside Gus Poyet’s dressing room.
Andrea Orlandi, Vicente, David Lopez and Inigo Calderon all plied their trade in the Championship under the Uruguayan that season, and Bruno reflected fondly on those memories.
“I’m the last survivor of the group now and it seems like a long time ago!
“We had a really good team and a good mixture of Spanish players like ourselves and lots of others too.
“There were also players here before me who can also take responsibility for where we are today."
Albion are currently enjoying their first-ever season in the Premier League, but the Seagulls' captain was keen to praise the influence of those who came before him, highlighting how important they were throughout difficult times for the club.
“We have some amazing facilities now and we’re very well looked after. If you compare that to when the club didn’t have a home ground and fans had to travel 80 or 90 miles to watch a ‘home’ game, then you get an idea of how far the club has come.
“The players made a real effort to keep the club at the highest possible level they could and I think they’re a big part of what we are enjoying now.
“Their efforts have made where we are now possible and we should be so thankful to them as well.”