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Bruno Fernandes was placed 27th among the top 30 male players globally on Monday evening, though the timing proved bittersweet for the Manchester United skipper, coming just a day after he sat unused on the bench during his side's embarrassing loss to Bournemouth.
Fernandes secured his 2026 Ballon d'Or nomination on the back of an exceptional campaign in which he shattered the 23-year-old record for assists in a single Premier League season.
The Portuguese playmaker registered 21 assists across the 38-match campaign, surpassing the previous benchmark set by Thierry Henry in 2002–03. Kevin De Bruyne had matched that tally of 20 in 2019–20, yet nobody had managed to exceed it until Fernandes came along. The feat was duly rewarded with a clean sweep of the FWA Footballer of the Year, PFA Players' Player of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season awards, along with a record-breaking fifth Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year accolade.
• Ballon d'Or 2026 LIVE Rankings Reveal
Before the Ballon d'Or ceremony got underway at the London Palladium, the 20 players outside the top 10 were announced in reverse order.
Following votes cast by a panel of 100 journalists—one representing each of FIFA's top 100-ranked national teams—Fernandes landed in 27th place. He only ranked above William Saliba and Sadio Mané—joint 29th—and Julián Quiñones, who came in 28th. Arsenal's Declan Rice, who missed out to Fernandes for all the domestic accolades, finished 13 spots ahead of the Manchester United captain.
Ranked at the 27th place of the 2026 Ballon d'Or @B_Fernandes8@ManUtd@selecaoportugal#ballondor pic.twitter.com/RyIVSqt23i
This marked the second time Fernandes had featured as a Ballon d'Or nominee, having first appeared on the list back in 2021. On that occasion, he came in joint 21st, one spot ahead of Harry Kane, three ahead of Pedri, and eight ahead of 2018 winner Luka Modrić.
In 2021, Fernandes was making his mark for different reasons. While his game has since evolved into one centered around creativity and assists, five years prior he was a more consistent scorer than many out-and-out strikers.
Fernandes netted 28 goals across all competitions for Manchester United in 2020–21, as part of a squad that claimed second place in the Premier League.
The 32-year-old was ultimately far from contention for the top prize in 2026, but simply earning a Ballon d'Or nomination—and being regarded as one of the finest players on the planet—is a remarkable distinction that more than 99.9% of professional soccer players will never experience.
Every Man Utd Ballon d'Or Winner
Manchester United have, of course, produced a number of Ballon d'Or winners throughout their history.
The first was Denis Law, now 62 years ago in 1964. The Scottish striking legend found the net 46 times throughout the 1963–64 season, a single-season record at Manchester United that still stands to this day.
Bobby Charlton, a nine-time nominee between 1960 and 1971, claimed the award two years later in 1966 after proving instrumental in England's World Cup triumph.
George Best, the third United player of that era to reach the pinnacle, achieved the feat in 1968, the same season the club became the first English side to lift the European Cup.
United then had to wait 40 years for their next winner, when Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the honor in 2008.