Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been crowned the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) player of the year, while Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw claimed the women’s award for the second time.
Record-Breaking Campaign for Fernandes
Portuguese international Fernandes enjoyed an outstanding 2025/26 season, setting an all-time Premier League record with 21 assists, surpassing the previous marks held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. The 31-year-old also netted nine goals, helping United recover from a challenging start to finish third under manager Michael Carrick and secure a return to the Champions League. Having already won the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year award in May, Fernandes expressed pride in the peer-voted honor: “It is obviously a very proud moment. They are the ones you go on the pitch against and it’s probably not easy to vote for someone you play against, so it is a very good moment.”
Manchester City Dominance
- Khadija Shaw earned her recognition after scoring 21 goals to secure a third consecutive Golden Boot and lead City to their first Women’s Super League title in a decade.
- Nico O’Reilly was named men’s young player of the year; the 21-year-old scored twice in the League Cup final victory over Arsenal and contributed to the club’s FA Cup success.
- Reflecting on his campaign, O’Reilly stated: “I’m very proud of the season I had. I won two trophies with my club and managed to play at the World Cup with my country. I’m over the moon how it turned out.”
- City’s presence in the PFA team of the year included O’Reilly, Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, and Antoine Semenyo.
- The PFA team of the year was rounded out by Arsenal’s David Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice, alongside Fernandes and Brentford’s Igor Thiago.
