Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw have been named the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) men’s and women’s Players of the Year for the 2025/26 season.
The pair had previously been recognised by the Football Writers’ Association, winning the men’s and women’s Footballer of the Year awards before adding the PFA honours.
Fernandes enjoyed a remarkable individual campaign despite Manchester United ending the season without a major trophy. The Portugal international broke the Premier League record for most assists in a single season with 21, surpassing the previous mark of 20 jointly held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.
The midfielder ended the league campaign with nine goals and 21 assists in 35 appearances, helping United finish third and secure Champions League football.
Across all competitions, Fernandes recorded nine goals and 22 assists in 37 matches.
His performances saw him beat Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes, David Raya and Declan Rice, as well as Manchester City duo Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland, to the award.
Fernandes becomes the first Manchester United player to win the men’s PFA Player of the Year award since Wayne Rooney in 2010.
He is also only the second Portuguese player to receive the honour, following Cristiano Ronaldo’s back-to-back victories in 2007 and 2008.
Shaw, meanwhile, won the women’s award after another outstanding season with Manchester City.
The Jamaica international scored 21 goals in 22 Women’s Super League appearances as City secured the league title and claimed her third consecutive WSL Golden Boot.
She became the first player to score at least 20 goals in three different WSL seasons after recording four goals against Aston Villa, a hat-trick against Tottenham and two goals against West Ham on the final day.
Shaw also added five goals in the FA Cup, including the opening goal in the final, helping Manchester City lift the trophy.
The 29-year-old is now the first player to win three WSL Golden Boots, moving ahead of previous two-time winners Vivianne Miedema and Sam Kerr.
Her latest PFA award is her second in three seasons and makes her only the third player to win the women’s honour multiple times, joining Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby.
Manchester City defender Nico O’Reilly was named PFA Young Player of the Year after establishing himself as a key member of Pep Guardiola’s side.
The 21-year-old recorded five goals, eight goal involvements and nine clean sheets in 34 league appearances. He also scored twice and was named Player of the Match in City’s League Cup final victory over Arsenal.
Arsenal’s Olivia Smith retained the women’s Young Player of the Year award, becoming only the second player after Lauren Hemp to win the prize more than once.
The Canada international scored 10 goals in all competitions after joining Arsenal from Liverpool for £1 million last summer.
Arsenal and Manchester City dominate Team of the Year
Arsenal and Manchester City dominate the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, with five players from the two clubs making up most of the XI.
Arsenal’s strong defensive record, having conceded just 27 league goals, was reflected in the selections of Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Rice.
Manchester City had four representatives, O’Reilly, Cherki, Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, while Fernandes and Brentford’s Igor Thiago completed the team.
Premier League Team of the Year: David Raya; Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Nico O’Reilly; Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice, Rayan Cherki; Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago.
The Women’s Super League Team of the Year featured three players each from champions Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, with Manchester United’s Jess Park and Tottenham defender Toko Koga the only representatives from outside those three clubs.
WSL Team of the Year: Hannah Hampton; Kerstin Casparij, Toko Koga, Ellie Carpenter, Emily Fox; Yui Hasegawa, Mariona Caldentey, Jess Park; Khadija Shaw, Alessia Russo, Lauren James.
