2 days ago
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Fewest games to hit milestone
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There’s not been an abundance of success stories but Bruno Fernandes has unquestionably been Manchester United’s best signing since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. The Portuguese magnifico joined from Sporting CP in €65 million and it’s proven to be remarkable value given his incredible attacking output. Despite not playing in a vintage United side, Fernandes has constantly stepped up to lead his teammates and he’s still won two major trophies during his tenure at Old Trafford.
The 31-year-old has widely been regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world during his five years at United with his creativity setting him apart from many of his peers. Fernandes regularly leads the Premier League in chances created and his goal/assist against Arsenal/Fulham brought up a milestone as it was his 200th goal contribution for United.
Fastest players to reach 200 goal contributions
Fernandes now has 103 goals and 97 assists for Manchester United in 312 games after his assist against Arsenal. His neat one-two with Patrick Dorgu was delightful, before the Danish left-back produced a special hit from 25 yards to make it 2-1 to United. It’s a remarkable achievement for the Portugal international and we’ve analysed how that compares to some iconic players to reach the 200 goal contributions milestone. Analysing all top five league players at a single club this century, Fernandes is the 31st fastest player to reach the landmark but we’ve analysed it in two specific categories; amongst midfielders and Premier League players.
As the graphic above illustrates, Kevin De Bruyne is the only midfielder to reach 200 goal contributions in fewer games than Fernandes. The Manchester City legend required nine games fewer than the Man United captain. Interestingly, Fernandes needed significantly fewer games than Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who are viewed as two of the Premier League’s best-ever midfielders. Fernandes is also the 10th quickest Premier League player to reach the 200 goal contribution milestone this century - and the third fastest Manchester United player, behind Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. As the graphic below shows, Thierry Henry holds the record with the Arsenal icon requiring just 219 games after arriving from Juventus.
