Paul Pogba has said Bruno Fernandes will be a contender for the Ballon d’Or if he plays for a club that wins major trophies, insisting the Manchester United captain is being overlooked despite producing numbers comparable to the best midfielders in the world.
The 33-year-old, now at Monaco, made the comments in an interview with former United defender Rio Ferdinand, drawing parallels between Fernandes’ situation and his struggles to get the recognition he felt he deserved during his six years at Old Trafford.
“I mean I’m not comparing, but can Bruno Fernandes do more than what he’s doing now at United?” Pogba said.
“Do you think that Bruno, if he is in another team, is not in the top three Ballon d’Or players? For me, put him in City, he has three Ballon d’Or. With the statistics of this season, the way he plays and everything, but if you don’t win, we don’t think about you. That’s right, football.”
Fernandes is currently enjoying one of the best individual campaigns of his career. He has registered eight goals and 18 assists in the Premier League this season – just two short of the all-time record – as United sit third in the table.
‘Football players will understand that this boy is a top player’
Pogba was very open in his assessment of Fernandes’ overall quality, comparing him to the most decorated midfielders of the modern era.
He’s not like me, he can’t jump and return the ball like I could, but he can do everything. As I said, Bruno Fernandes, in other big clubs, is ranked in the top three in the Ballon d’Or.
“We are talking about Kevin De Bruyne [Luka] Modric, speak up [Mesut] Ozil. Talk about math, math. He scored more goals than [Frank] Lampard in the season, as the same position, eight, 10, you know. He helps many. He is everywhere on the field. You have volume. He keeps running. You are smart. He can play two touch, one touch. He can shoot.
“They have to find someone [to criticise]he is in United. They need to find someone. But football lovers will always respect Bruno Fernandes. If you like his style, the way he plays or not, these are different opinions. But the footballers will understand that this boy is a top player.”
Fernandes has 139 Premier League goals in 225 appearances for the club since joining in 2020, but only has the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup to show for silverware.
Pogba reflected on his experience of a similar career, having won just two trophies in his second spell at United between 2016 and 2022.
“We had a good team, Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] arrived, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan too, you know, we had a really good team. But in one team you have 11 players, you know, and I’m sure I should have done more, but I don’t know if I could have done more.”
Pogba’s message to Mainoo: ‘I want to see this kid play’
Pogba also spoke about Kobbie Mainoo, who struggled for minutes under Ruben Amorim before flourishing since the appointment of Michael Carrick.
He said the key for Mainoo is to find a manager who genuinely trusts him, using his experience of leaving United at the age of 19 due to a lack of opportunities.
“He played and he has talent, a talented kid, he’s still young, it’s hard, it’s really hard, the way he feels, if he hears that, if he’s good with the manager, if the manager really trusts him, because he’ll have all the clubs behind him, this is true.
“Maybe it’s not the right decision [if he thinks he should leave]. And it’s hard for me to say that he should leave when he is so loved by the people of United. He is a very good player, with a lot of energy and he can do a good job at Manchester United.
“I don’t know but I wish him the best but I don’t know what decision he will make, I want to see this child play because it makes me happy to see him play.”
