For years, Bruno Fernandes has been the emotional heartbeat of Manchester United. Through chaotic transitions, managerial instability, tactical rebuilds and fluctuating league performances, the Portuguese midfielder remained the one constant source of creativity and leadership at Old Trafford. However, in the 2025/26 campaign, Fernandes elevated himself from being merely United’s talisman to becoming one of the greatest playmakers the Premier League has ever seen. Under manager Michael Carrick, Manchester United produced a remarkable resurgence season, finishing third in the Premier League and securing a long-awaited return to the UEFA Champions League. At the centre of that revival stood their captain, orchestrating matches with intelligence, vision, a relentless work ethic and elite technical qualities.
Even before Carrick stepped in, Bruno was the most influential player, even in the club‘s worst-ever managerial spell under Ruben Amorim, showing his importance to the side over and over again. The 31-year-old not only guided United back among England’s elite but also shattered multiple Premier League and club records along the way. His historic campaign was ultimately recognised with the biggest individual honour in English football, the Premier League Player of the Season award. From record-breaking assists to unprecedented creative numbers, Fernandes produced a season that will forever be remembered as one of the finest playmaking displays in Premier League history. His impact of breaking the record was so huge that it rivalled Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning moment after 22 years.
Here are all the records and achievements of Bruno Fernandes in a historic 2025/26 Season for him and his club:
Bruno Fernandes 2025/26 Season Records
Assist King
Bruno Fernandes’ 2025/26 campaign will primarily be remembered for one extraordinary statistic, which is achieving 21 Premier League assists. That number officially made him the greatest single-season creator in Premier League history. Fernandes surpassed the long-standing record of 20 assists jointly held by legendary Arsenal forward Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City. For over two decades, Henry’s 20-assist campaign during Arsenal’s iconic “Invincibles” season was considered almost untouchable. De Bruyne later matched the tally in 2019/20, reaffirming the difficulty of producing such sustained creative brilliance over an entire season. Fernandes, however, managed to go one better.
What made the achievement even more impressive was the context surrounding it. Unlike many previous record holders who operated within title-dominating systems, Fernandes was functioning in a Manchester United side still rebuilding itself under Carrick. Much of United’s attacking structure revolved directly around the Portuguese midfielder’s imagination and passing ability. Whether it was threading impossible through balls between defensive lines, delivering inch-perfect set-pieces, switching play under pressure or dictating transitions from deep midfield positions, he controlled games with supreme authority throughout the campaign. Across 35 league appearances, Fernandes registered 9 goals and 21 assists, directly contributing to 30 Premier League goals, with only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland bettering him this season.
Joining an Elite group
Fernandes also matched the Premier League record for the most assists away from home in a single campaign, producing 11 assists on the road. That tally brought him level with former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas from the 2014/15 season and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah from the 2024/25 campaign. It showed his true difference-making qualities that he did not restrict himself to offering his skills only in the comfort zone of playing at Old Trafford with the backing of huge home support. The playmaker can also go to the most hostile grounds away from Manchester and still offer the same without a hitch.
His excellence from dead-ball situations was equally remarkable. Fernandes created 11 assists from set-pieces, equalling the Premier League record previously set by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard during the 2013/14 season. Set-pieces became one of United’s deadliest weapons largely because of Fernandes’ extraordinary delivery quality. Whether from corners, indirect free-kicks, or wide crossing positions, his ability to place the ball precisely into dangerous zones repeatedly unlocked opposition defences. The Red Devils scored 15 goals from dead balls this season and he played a major part in it.
Overall dominance
While his assist record will make the headlines, the former Sporting CP man offered much more than that for Manchester United’s resurgence. Fernandes’ deeper creative metrics arguably painted an even more astonishing picture. He finished the season with 136 chances created in the Premier League, the highest total recorded in Europe’s top five leagues since Kevin De Bruyne achieved the same figure in 2019/20. No player across England, Spain, Germany, Italy, or France came remotely close to matching his consistency in generating opportunities.
He led the Premier League statistics in chances created with a whopping 136, dwarfing Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, 78. The player also topped the chart of big chances created, which was staggering 33, a lot more than Man City’s star signing, Rayan Cherki, who created 19 of them and the Premier League winner with Arsenal, Declan Rice, with 17. No other came close to producing accurate passes in the opposition’s penalty area and completing the most key passes.
Man United Legend
The Portuguese midfielder’s historic season also cemented his place among Manchester United’s greatest creators. Fernandes now has 104 assists for the club, moving him ahead of both Bernardo Silva and Nani to become the Portuguese player with the most assists in Premier League history. More significantly, he climbed to fourth on Manchester United’s all-time assist leaderboard, trailing only club legends: Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. It also means among the foreign playmakers that have donned the Manchester United in its history, Fernandes now stands at the very top among them in terms of assists tally.
He also surpassed David Beckham’s tally of Premier League goal involvements for Manchester United. Fernandes now has 143 direct goal contributions in the competition, moving beyond Beckham’s 142. Only three players in Manchester United’s Premier League history have contributed to more goals than the Portuguese playmaker, a remarkable feat considering he only arrived at Old Trafford in January 2020. Given his consistency and fitness levels, Fernandes could realistically continue climbing those historic charts over the coming seasons.
Bruno Fernandes 2025/26 Achievements
EA SPORTS Premier League Player of the Season
Fernandes’ incredible season naturally resulted in a remarkable collection of personal honours. The biggest of them being the ‘Premier League Player of the Season’ award. The fact that he received the award for being an elite playmaker this season, even without winning the Premier League and ahead of players like Declan Rice, who played a significant role in Arsenal’s triumph this season, shows his calibre. Winning the award placed him among the elite names in league history and made him the first Manchester United player to claim the honour since Nemanja Vidić in 2011.
FWA Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers’ Association award remains one of the most prestigious recognitions in English football. Voted on by over 900 journalists, Fernandes finished ahead of Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice to claim the honour. In doing so, he became the first Manchester United player since Wayne Rooney in 2010 to win the award. This was an immense award to win, like the Premier League Player of the Season award, as both showed the class and quality Fernandes delivered for a team that has struggled to find a face to rely on for a decade and more.
Premier League Playmaker of the Season
Undoubtedly, breaking the all-time assists record for a single season, Fernandes comfortably secured the Premier League Playmaker Award. While the trophy itself was expected, given his record-breaking numbers, the margin by which he outperformed every other creator in the division emphasised just how dominant he truly was. He became the first-ever Manchester Player to receive the award after it only started in the 2017/18 season.
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year
Perhaps the most emotionally meaningful honour came from Manchester United supporters themselves. Fernandes won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for a record-breaking fifth time, surpassing club icon Cristiano Ronaldo. For many fans, that achievement perfectly encapsulated Fernandes’ importance to the modern Manchester United era. Through instability, pressure and rebuilding phases, he consistently delivered elite performances and carried the responsibility of leading one of football’s biggest clubs.
Players’ Player of the Year
Another special award that Bruno won this season is the Players’ Player of the Year. Recognition from teammates often carries unique value and the honour reflected the immense respect he commands within the dressing room. Not just for his ability, his professionalism, competitiveness, leadership and standards behind the scenes made him the players' favourites as well, like the Manchester United supporters. All of this just adds to the credibility that Bruno Fernandes is the undisputed king.
