Two of the finest creative midfielders of their generation – but how do Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes compare when you put the numbers side by side?
There has rarely been a debate more contested among Premier League fans in the past decade. Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgian architect of Manchester City’s most dominant era.
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Bruno Fernandes, the Portuguese captain who has helped carry Manchester United through their most difficult years. Two of the most gifted creative midfielders in Premier League history – here are the numbers.
Premier League career stats
| Stat | De Bruyne | Fernandes |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 288 | 232* |
| Goals | 72 | 70* |
| Assists | 119 | 70* |
| Goal involvements | 191 | 140* |
| Chances created | 830 | 636+ |
| Big chances created | 199 | 30 (2025-26 alone) |
| Through balls | 218 | – |
| Passes per match | 49.1 | 58.3 |
| Shooting accuracy | 35% | 30% |
*Fernandes figures current as of 7 May 2026 with games remaining this season per Opta.
Best individual season
De Bruyne’s finest Premier League campaign came in 2019-20 – 13 goals and 20 assists in 35 appearances. He equalled Thierry Henry’s long-standing single-season assist record, created 136 chances from open play – a record since Opta began tracking the stat in 2003-04 – and also set a single-season record of 33 big chances created. He won the Premier League Player of the Season and PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
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Fernandes is in the middle of his best ever Premier League season. With 8 goals and 19 official assists in 32 appearances in 2025-26, he is one short of equalling De Bruyne’s record with games still to play. He has created 120 chances – nearly double the next best player in the division – and his expected assists output of 11.16 places him above 99 per cent of all Premier League players. Opta note he has also produced 15 intentional assists this season, almost triple the next best.
He was also credited with a 20th assist in FPL after the Liverpool match, though it was not counted officially due to a goalkeeper touch in between – a distinction explained by the differing definitions used by FPL and Opta.
Career stats by club – all competitions
Kevin De Bruyne
| Club | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genk | 66 | 17 | 22 |
| Chelsea | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 34 | 4 | 8 |
| Wolfsburg | 72 | 20 | 40 |
| Manchester City | 422 | 108 | 170 |
| Napoli | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 619 | 154 | 242 |
Bruno Fernandes
| Club | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novara | 25 | 1 | 3 |
| Udinese | 94 | 11 | 16 |
| Sampdoria | 33 | 5 | 9 |
| Sporting CP | 137 | 64 | 52 |
| Manchester United | 322 | 107 | 95 |
| Total | 611 | 188 | 175 |
Trophies
De Bruyne’s haul at Manchester City is the defining difference – the Champions League (2023), six Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. He also won the DFB-Pokal with Wolfsburg in 2015.
Fernandes has won the FA Cup (2024) and EFL Cup (2023) with Manchester United, as well as two UEFA Nations League titles with Portugal in 2019 and 2025.
Individual awards
De Bruyne won the Premier League Player of the Season twice (2019-20 and 2021-22), the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice and the Premier League Playmaker of the Season three times. He is the fastest player in history to reach 100 Premier League assists, doing so in 237 games – 56 quicker than the previous record holder Cesc Fabregas.
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Fernandes has won the Premier League Player of the Month six times, more than any other United player in the club’s history. He has been named Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year four times. Since his Premier League debut in February 2020, only Mohamed Salah has assisted more league goals than him.
Stats tell you a great deal about a footballer – but not everything. Whether it is De Bruyne’s weight of pass and vision or Fernandes’ drive, leadership and ability to perform in moments of pressure, both have given fans something to admire. The numbers are there. The question of who you prefer is yours to answer.
Photo: Reuters/Carl Recine
