Bruno Fernandes has enjoyed an excellent 2025/26 campaign with Manchester United, and Paul Pogba has heaped praise on him.

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba believes that Bruno Fernandes would be in contention for the Ballon d’Or if he played for a club like Manchester City.

Manchester United are not competing for major trophies, and therefore, the Portuguese International is likely to miss out on individual accolades as well. The Manchester United skipper has 18 assists in the Premier League this season.

It remains to be seen whether he can break the assist record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne in a Premier League campaign with 20. Fernandes has scored eight goals in the league as well. There is no doubt that the 31-year-old is the best midfielder in the Premier League right now, and he deserves to be in contention for the individual awards as well.

However, winning major trophies has always played a big part in winning the Ballon d’Or, and Fernandes is likely to fall short in that metric.

Paul Pogba on Fernandes

“Do you think Bruno, if he’s in the other team, he’s not in the top three, a Ballon d’Or player?” Pogba said on , via before adding. “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. He can do everything. Like I said, Bruno Fernandes, in other big clubs, is in the top three Ballon d’Or, punto final.

“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.”

The 31-year-old midfielder has a contract with Manchester United until 2027. There has been speculation surrounding his future at the club. It remains to be seen whether Manchester United can extend his deal in the coming weeks.

Manchester United need to keep players like him at the club if they want to build a team capable of pushing for trophies. He is an exceptional player and one of the leaders of the dressing room. The Red Devils simply cannot afford to lose a player of his quality anytime soon. Fernandes is very much at the peak of his power, and he could be a vital player for Manchester United in the upcoming season as well.