Fernandes produced 21 assists, created 136 chances, and won every individual award the Premier League had to offer him this season.
Bruno Fernandes ended the 2025/26 Premier League season with 21 assists, breaking a record that had stood for over two decades. The Manchester United (4.97) captain claimed the Premier League Player of the Season, the FWA Footballer of the Year and the Golden Playmaker award in one remarkable sweep. His numbers place him alongside Thomas Müller and Lionel Messi as the most prolific single-season assisters in European soccer history.
A Record Two Decades In The Making
Bruno Fernandes broke Premier League history on the final day of the season at Brighton (150.33). His corner was powerfully headed home by Patrick Dorgu after 33 minutes. That moment gave Fernandes his 21st assist of the campaign.
It moved him clear of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, who both stopped at 20. Henry set that mark in 2002/03, with De Bruyne matching it in 2019/20. Neither could go further. Fernandes did. He finished the season with nine assists, clear of second place. Furthermore, his 21 assists tie the all-time European record held by Müller and Messi, both of whom reached that figure in the 2019/20 season.
“We are talking about Kevin and Thierry, two of the best players the Premier League has ever seen,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “Having the chance to be up there with their names is something I am very proud of.”
Numbers That Tell An Extraordinary Story
The raw statistics behind Fernandes’ campaign are staggering. He created 136 chances in the Premier League alone. That matches De Bruyne’s total from 2019/20, the most by any player in Europe’s big five leagues since that campaign. His 132 chances created, including assists, put him fourth on the all-time single-season list.
Additionally, Fernandes leads every meaningful creative metric in the division this season. He tops the charts for chances created, big chances created, Expected Assists and through-balls. He also produced 19 so-called intentional assists, nearly double the next best player in that category.
Eleven of his 21 assists arrived from set-piece situations, equalling a record previously held by Steven Gerrard. His passing accuracy in the final third improved to 76 percent, the best of his Premier League career. Moreover, he averaged 3.99 chances created per 90 minutes, a personal high. In terms of pure creative output, there was Fernandes, and then there was everyone else.
Carrick’s Arrival Unlocked A New Level
Fernandes had seven assists when Ruben Amorim departed Old Trafford in January. He then added 13 more in just 17 games after Michael Carrick took charge. That rate of 4.6 chances created per game under Carrick pushed his seasonal totals into record territory. Carrick’s instruction to move in straight lines, go directly, and improvise gave Fernandes the freedom he needed.
A disguised reverse pass that released Bryan Mbeumo against Manchester City (3.49) in Carrick’s first game announced a new phase of the season. A stunning spin and cross that broke Fulham’s resistance showcased a player with renewed licence. A piercing through-ball for Matheus Cunha’s goal against Aston Villa (25.89) captured Carrick’s direct approach at its most effective.
Fernandes and Carrick share a visible closeness around the training ground. That relationship clearly settled United’s captain after a turbulent first half of the season.
The Captain Who Makes Everyone Around Him Better
What separates this campaign from Fernandes’ previous best work is the breadth of his creativity. He created more than ten chances each for five different players, a first for him in the Premier League. Casemiro benefited most, scoring six goals from his captain’s passes. Sesko received four assists, while Mbeumo, Cunha, Dorgu and Mason Mount each collected two.
Twelve of Fernandes’ 21 assists came when the scores were level. Five arrived when United were behind and desperately needed a spark. Only three came with United already in front. Those who question his influence miss the point entirely. He is the player who drags his team forward when the game is hardest to win.
Off the pitch, academy players Jim Thwaites and Dan Armer have spoken publicly about Fernandes taking time to make them feel comfortable in first-team training.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who worked with Fernandes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, perhaps put it best. “His commitment to his profession is really in the top, top, top tier of any player in the world,” McKenna said. “You don’t get that level of robustness without being an outstanding professional.”
A Future Firmly Written In Red
Fernandes’ future generated significant debate last summer, when a £100 million offer from Saudi side Al Hilal emerged. He stayed. United’s hierarchy has since made its position clear – he is not for sale.
Fernandes himself gave the most telling hint of his own intentions after collecting the Player of the Season award: “Next season is going to be the biggest challenge for us,” he told team-mates in a social media video. “I’m very happy that I will be part of that with you guys.”
At 31, with a £56 million release clause sitting in his contract, interest from clubs across Europe will follow. However, after a season in which he rewrote the record books, led United to third place and swept every individual honour available, Fernandes has never looked more at home at Old Trafford. The greatest creative season in Premier League history belongs to him. For now, that feels like enough.
