Pogba was blunt in his assessment of why individual accolades often follow team success. He said: "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..."
The Frenchman’s comments highlight a harsh reality in modern football where the Golden Ball is almost exclusively reserved for players who dominate Europe's elite competitions. "But when you don’t win, we don’t even think about it. It’s like that. This is life. This is football," Pogba added.