PEOPLE & HISTORY

Why is Bruno Fernandes being backed for the Ballon d'Or and what did he reject from Saudi Arabia?

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Bruno Fernandes is backed for the Ballon d'Or due to his exceptional creative output with 18 assists this season, and he rejected a £200 million transfer offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal.

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Assists tally18 assists, just 3 away from breaking the joint record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne
Recent form6 assists in his last 6 appearances plus 8 goals this season
Saudi offer rejected£200 million (approximately 400 billion won) from Al-Hilal with weekly salary of £700,000 (1.4 billion won)
Reason for stayingCould not leave while the club was facing difficulties
Ballon d'Or backingJesse Lingard called his season 'extraordinary' and insists he should be in the Ballon d'Or running

Why Bruno Fernandes is Backed for the Ballon d'Or

Bruno Fernandes is receiving strong backing for the Ballon d'Or based on an exceptional 2025-26 season. He currently has 18 assists, placing him just three assists away from breaking the joint record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. His creative output has been described as 'scary' and 'quite exceptional' by fellow professionals. In his last six appearances, he recorded a phenomenal six assists while also scoring eight goals this term. Jesse Lingard publicly insists that Fernandes should be in the running for the Ballon d'Or, describing his season as 'extraordinary.' Other analysts including Gary Neville have named him among the candidates for player of the season.

The Saudi Arabia Offer He Rejected

Bruno Fernandes rejected a record transfer offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal last summer worth £200 million (approximately 400 billion won). The unprecedented package included a weekly salary of £700,000 (approximately 1.4 billion won) along with tax exemptions. Despite these extraordinary financial conditions, Fernandes chose to remain at Manchester United, stating he could not leave while the club was facing difficulties.

His Current Standing at Manchester United

Fernandes is Manchester United's captain with a contract running until September 2027, with the club holding an option to extend by an additional 12 months. Under interim manager Michael Carrick, Manchester United has surged into third place in the Premier League following 8 wins in 12 matches. Fernandes has been instrumental in this turnaround and has publicly backed Carrick for the permanent manager position, praising how the manager transformed the team's mentality and energy.

Sources

  1. ‘I’m one of his biggest fans’: Everton talisman says Carrick has an ‘exceptional’ player in his ranks (sports.yahoo.com)
  2. 'Saudi 400 billion won offer rejected, staying at Man Utd': Bruno "Carick must be appointed permanent manager" strongly supports... "Reason for not leaving even with 1.4 billion won weekly salary" (starnewskorea.com)