Fernandes matched a handful of Premier League greats this season such as Cesc Fabregas (2014-15), Kevin De Bruyne (2016-17), Frank Lampard (2004-05) and Mohamed Salah (2024-25) as he reached 18 assists in the Premier League so far.
The 31-year-old was last nominated for the award in 2021 where he placed joint 21st with Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez.
Could Fernandes have won the Ballon d'Or?
Despite leading the United side as captain for a number of years, he has not come anywhere close to the award due to a lack of trophies.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Pogba has suggested that the Portuguese international could have finished alongside the world’s best if he had switched sides.
"Can Bruno Fernandes do more than he does now at United? Do you think if Bruno is in another team, he’s not in the top three (for the Ballon d’Or) player?
“For me, you put him at City, he’s in the (final) three for the Ballon d’Or. Bruno Fernandes, with the stats, the season, the way he plays and everything...
"But when you don’t win (trophies), we don’t even think about it. It’s like that. This is life. This is football.”
Fernandes should be more appreciated
Pogba and Fernandes played alongside each other at United between 2020 and 2022 before the Frenchman decided to return to Juventus.
He continued speaking on Fernandes, a player he clearly admires and wishes was more appreciated by awards such as the Ballon d’Or that often ignores stars who haven’t found success trophy wise.
"We talk about Kevin De Bruyne. We talk about Luka Modric, talk about Mesut Ozil," Pogba continued. "Talk about stats, stats. He scored more than Frank Lampard in the season, as the same position, eight, 10, you know. He does more assists. He's everywhere on the pitch. He has a volume. He keeps running. He's smart. He can play two touches, one touch. He can shoot."