Paul Pogba drops eye-catching Bruno Fernandes Ballon d’Or claim | OneFootball

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has suggested that there is only one reason why Bruno Fernandes may not seriously be in the running to win the Ballon d’Or.

Fantastic season

Fernandes is enjoying another superb season at United, with the captain leading the charge as the club inches increasingly closer to securing Champions League football.

He was decisive for United last weekend as they beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Fernandes delivered a brilliant assist to Matheus Cunha, who scored the only goal of the contest. That marked Fernandes’ 18th assist of the season. He is now just two goals away from matching the Premier League assist record (20), which is jointly held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.

With five games left to play, there is every chance that Fernandes could even surpass the duo.

The Portugal international has also netted eight top-flight goals for United. He is a strong contender to win the Premier League Player of the Year.

Fernandes and Pogba played together 79 times for United before the Frenchman departed as a free agent in the summer of 2022.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Pogba hailed Fernandes’ ability, while claiming that were he at Manchester City or challenging for the biggest trophies, he would be on the podium for the Ballon d’Or.

Pogba’s claim

The AS Monaco man told Ferdinand, “Can Bruno Fernandes do more than he does now at United?”

“Do you think if Bruno is in another team, he’s not in the top three [for the Ballon d’Or] player?”

“For me, you put him at City, he’s in the [final] three for the Ballon d’Or. Bruno Fernandes, with the stats, the season, the way he plays and everything…”

“But when you don’t win, we don’t even think about it. It’s like that. This is life. This is football.

Pogba returned to United in 2016 for a record £89m fee. He and Fernandes combined for 11 goals during the two years they spent together at Old Trafford.

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