Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League single-season assist record on 24 May 2026, reaching 21 assists during Manchester United‘s clash against Brighton to become the outright holder of one of the division’s most prestigious individual benchmarks.
The milestone arrived in the first half, when Fernandes delivered a corner from the right that Patrick Dorgu met powerfully, heading into the net to open the scoring for United.
That 21st assist took the Manchester United captain beyond the previous record of 20, which had been shared by Thierry Henry — set with Arsenal in 2002/03 — and Kevin De Bruyne, who matched it with Manchester City in 2019/20.
Fernandes had already equalled the record earlier in the season, setting up Bryan Mbeumo’s 76th-minute goal in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
Speaking after that game, Fernandes told Sky Sports: “Everyone knew that it was important that I could get another assist at least. They have been trying everything that they can to score from my passes. There were probably moments today that I should have passed instead of shot, but I’m very happy for this assist.”
Of his 20 assists entering the Brighton game, only 10 had come from open play — compared to Henry’s 18 and De Bruyne’s 17 — with Fernandes benefitting from the growing importance placed on set pieces in the Premier League this season. The record-breaking assist itself came from a corner, underlining that trend.
The achievement caps a remarkable individual campaign for the 31-year-old Portuguese midfielder, who had already been named Premier League Player of the Season and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award, securing 45% of the votes to narrowly beat Arsenal’s Declan Rice. He became the first Manchester United player to receive the FWA accolade since Wayne Rooney in 2010.
On a team level, Manchester United secured third place in the Premier League and a return to the Champions League under interim head coach Michael Carrick, who replaced Ruben Amorim in January and won 11 of his first 16 games in charge.
— NutmegXtra | Football News. Transfers. More.
