Forget the Ballon d'Or - but there is one accolade Bruno Fernandes deserves

Forget the Ballon d'Or - but there is one accolade Bruno Fernandes deservesThe Manchester United skipper will not be in the Ballon d'Or running unless Portugal win the World Cup but is in with a great shout of lifting domestic end-of-season awardsCommentsSportopinionAndy Dunn Chief Sports Writer20:41, 23 Apr 2026Updated 20:45, 23 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesBruno Fernandes has enjoyed one of his best seasons for Manchester United(Image: Getty Images) When Paul Pogba says Bruno Fernandes would be a Ballon d’Or contender if he played for Manchester City, there is a strong element of stating the obvious. City have won a trophy and will probably win one more before the end of the season. ‌ City is a truly elite club still operating not far from the peak of its power. If Fernandes played for Paris Saint-Germain, or Bayern Munich, he would be a Ballon D’Or contender, but he plays for Manchester United, who have never looked like winning anything this season. ‌ They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town and out of the FA Cup by Brighton and Hove Albion. Fernandes is phenomenally important to United but might not be as important to a better team. Bayern Munich, PSG, City. ‌ READ MORE: Marcus Rashford sent harsh message as Man Utd star's agents 'take action'READ MORE: Man Utd tipped to bid £50m for Premier League star after ‘agreeing personal terms’A little bit of conjecture is needed to imagine how he would perform in those teams. If Fernandes helps Portugal win the World Cup, then he WILL be a Ballon D’Or contender, despite playing for a club that will have taken part in only 40 matches this season. But in relative terms, Portugal are unlikely to win the World Cup. The Ballon D’Or is a long shot for Fernandes but individual accolades in this country are more than possibilities. He has to be a serious contender for the Footballer of the Year, as voted for by the Football Writers Association, and the Player of the Year, as voted for by members of the Professional Footballers Association. ‌ View 4 ImagesDeclan Rice was outstanding in the first half of this season but his form has tapered off a little(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Understandably, a lot of voters like to go for someone who has contributed significantly to a side that has had a successful season. City could win a treble, Arsenal a prestige double. But who would be the choice from City? Rayan Cherki’s brilliance has come to the fore only lately and we are now taking Erling Haaland’s prolific excellence for granted. Bernardo Silva is routinely overlooked. ‌ Contenders from Arsenal? Declan Rice had a great first half of the season but, by his rarefied standards, has been unremarkable for some time, and individual awards tend not to go to defenders or goalkeepers. David Raya should have a shout but the last keeper to be voted Footballer of the Year was Neville Southall in 1984-85. In 2020-21, Ruben Dias was the first defender to win the award since Steve Nicol got the accolade in 1988-89. View 4 ImagesNeville Southall was the last goalkeeper to be voted Footballer of the Year by football writers(Image: GETTY ) ‌ Peter Shilton (1977-78) is the only keeper to win the PFA award while Virgil van Dijk (2018-19) is the only defender to win it in the past 20 years. Arsenal’s strength is their defence and that generally does not get recognised in individual polls. So, the Footballer of the Year/Player of the Year could come from outside the top two and there would be no more deserving candidate than Fernandes. He is a United player who has not just sharpened up his act for a manager he wants to get the long-term gig. He was excellent for Ruben Amorim - in a slightly different role - and he is excellent for Michael Carrick. His statistics are impressive. ‌ He is two short of the record number of assists, 20, in a Premier League season. And when the season ends, you can be sure the proportion of goals he has assisted will be a Premier League record. View 4 ImagesBruno Fernandes has registered 18 Premier League assists this season(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images) That is the most meaningful statistic. He has registered an assist for over 31 percent of United’s Premier League goals this season. Kevin de Bruyne’s total of 20 in the 2019/20 season meant he registered an assist for 19.6 percent of City’s goals in that Premier League campaign. ‌ But the statistics tell only a fraction of the story. Fernandes has not only been brilliant on the pitch but an excellent ambassador off it. Late-season pyrotechnics from Haaland and a City title win might get the Norwegian striker over the line. But, if not, Fernandes would be a very worthy Footballer of the Year. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Article continues belowSky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV packageThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more£44SkyGet the deal hereProduct DescriptionSky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL. 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