Bruno Fernandes: Paul Pogba says Manchester United captain would be ‘Ballon d’Or’ player with Manchester City - 'He's in the top three'
By Tom Masters
Published 22/04/2026 at 12:05 GMT+1
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Paul Pogba has said that former Manchester United team-mate Bruno Fernandes would be in the top three for the Ballon d’Or if he played for Manchester City.
'We had to bounce back' - Fernandes delighted with huge win in Champions League hunt
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Portuguese midfielder has had another excellent season at Old Trafford and has guided the club to the brink of a return to the UEFA Champions League under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
Fernandes' assist for Matheus Cunha’s goal in United’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night took his tally to 18 for the season.
That saw him join the list of the very best seasons in terms of creativity, with only four other players managing 18 assists in a season - Cesc Fabregas (2014-15), Kevin De Bruyne (2016-17), Frank Lampard (2004-05) and Mohamed Salah (2024-25).
Now, he has five matches left to break the assist record, with Thierry Henry and De Bruyne both managing 20 in a season, while one more would see him go level with Mesut Ozil’s 19 for Arsenal in the 2015-16 season.
Fernandes has also netted eight goals this season and Pogba, who played alongside the Manchester United captain 79 times when at the club, could not have given him much higher praise.
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Cunha thumps Man Utd ahead after ANOTHER Fernandes assist
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He told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast: ”Do you think Bruno, if he's in the other team, he's not in the top three, a Ballon d'Or player?
"You put him in City, he's [in the] Ballon d'Or [top] three, he's in the Ballon d'Or.
"Bruno Fernandes, with the stats, the season, the way he plays and everything, but when you don't win, you don't think about you, it's not. It's like, this is life, this is football.
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"I know he's not physically the same as me, but he cannot jump and recover the ball as I would do, but he can do everything.
"He can do everything. Like I said, Bruno Fernandes, in other big clubs, is in the top three Ballon d'Or, punto final.”
Fernandes’ ability to slot into several roles for United is what has made him their most important player of the past five years.
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Highlights: Man Utd open up TEN-point gap to Chelsea after Cunha winner
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And, as a result, when it comes to talking about some of the most elite Premier League midfielders, Pogba believes Fernandes should be in the conversation with some of the best to play the game.
He said: ”For me, as a midfielder, we talk about Kevin De Bruyne, we talk about [Luka] Modric, talk about Ozil and stuff like that.
"Talk about stats, stats. I think he came as a midfielder. He scored more than Lampard in the season, as the same position, eight, 10.
”He does more assists. He's everywhere on the pitch. He has a volume. He keeps running. He's smart. He can play two touches, one touch. He can shoot.
"Football lovers will always respect Bruno Fernandes. That you like his style is a different thing.
”If you like his style, the way he plays or not, this is different opinions. But football players, they will understand that this guy is a top player."
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