Bruno Fernandes has been ranked among football’s promising talents at the 2026 Ballon d’Or despite chaos at Manchester United.

The 32-year-old was confirmed on the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious prize in September 2026, after his record-breaking 2025/26 season.

The official Ballon d’Or account confirmed on X on Monday, October 26, 2026, that Bruno Fernandes finished 27th in the 2026 men’s rankings.

In the rankings, Bruno beat Arsenal’s highly rated defender William Saliba, who won the Premier League, to finish at position 27. This marks his second career nomination, having previously finished joint-21st in the 2021 voting.

Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Rodri and Lamine Yamal are among the frontrunners in 2026.

Fernandes last season’s stats

The Portuguese midfielder was instrumental in United’s third-place Premier League finish under Michael Carrick last season.

Fernandes surpassed a long-standing Premier League benchmark by registering 21 assists last term, and he swept the board in terms of solo accolades, collecting the PFA Players’ and Football Writers’ Player of the Year awards.

His final assist, a corner converted by Patrick Dorgu against Brighton, took him beyond Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, who previously shared the record with 20.

However, his summer with Portugal proved less memorable.

Fernandes failed to score in five appearances at the 2026 World Cup, recording just one assist before Portugal suffered a 1-0 last-16 defeat against Spain.

His struggles have continued into the new club season, with United recording just two victories in 12 competitive matches.

Following his public criticism of Carrick’s tactics after Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat against Como, Fernandes was dropped for Sunday’s Bournemouth encounter.

The captain remained an unused substitute throughout United’s humiliating 3-0 defeat, despite Carrick insisting his omission was purely a footballing decision.