Bruno Fernandes, the captain of Manchester United, has been awarded the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year, while Khadija Shaw of Manchester City has received the Women’s award for the second time. The awards were announced on Tuesday, showcasing the individual achievements of both players despite their teams' differing outcomes during the season.
Fernandes set a new Premier League assists record during the 2025–26 season, providing 21 assists, which surpassed the previous records held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He also scored nine goals, helping Manchester United recover from a poor start to finish third in the Premier League and secure a spot in the Champions League. In May, Fernandes was also honored with the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award.
“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,” Fernandes stated.
Shaw earned recognition for scoring 21 goals, leading to her third consecutive Golden Boot and contributing to Manchester City’s first Women’s Super League title in ten years.
Additionally, Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly was named Men’s Young Player of the Year after scoring twice in the League Cup final against Arsenal and being part of the team that also won the FA Cup last season.
“I’m very proud of the season I had,” O’Reilly said. “I won two trophies with my club and managed to play at the World Cup with my country. I’m over the moon with how it turned out.”
O’Reilly was included in the Team of the Year alongside teammates Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, and Antoine Semenyo. Arsenal, the league champions, had five players represented: David Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice, with Fernandes and Brentford’s Igor Thiago completing the XI.