Bruno Fernandes, Khadija Shaw Crowned PFA Players Of The Year

Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw have been named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s men’s and women’s players of the year for the 2025-26 season.

The pair had already picked up the equivalent Football Writers’ Association honours earlier in the year, confirming their status as the standout performers of the campaign.

Fernandes enjoyed a record-breaking season on an individual level, racking up 21 assists in the Premier League — the most any player has managed in a single top-flight campaign, eclipsing the previous mark of 20 set jointly by Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry. He capped the season in style on the final day against Brighton, setting up United’s opener and netting their third himself, to finish the league campaign with nine goals and 21 assists from 35 appearances. Across all competitions, his tally rose to nine goals and 22 assists in 37 games, and his form helped United secure a third-place finish and a return to Champions League football. He becomes the first United player to win the award since Wayne Rooney in 2010, and only the second Portuguese player to claim it, after Cristiano Ronaldo’s back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008.

Shaw, meanwhile, claimed her second PFA award in three years after inspiring Manchester City to the Women’s Super League title. The Jamaican international struck 21 goals in just 22 league appearances, including hat-tricks against Aston Villa and Tottenham, and a brace on the final day versus West Ham making her the first player to score 20-plus goals in three separate WSL seasons. That form also earned her a third straight WSL golden boot, moving her ahead of two-time winners Vivianne Miedema and Sam Kerr. She added five more goals in the FA Cup, including the opener in the final, as City completed a domestic double.

In the young player categories, Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly took over from Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers on the men’s side. The 21-year-old defender made himself a fixture in City’s starting line-up, chipping in with eight goal involvements and nine clean sheets across 34 league matches, and was named man of the match in City’s League Cup final win over Arsenal.

On the women’s side, Arsenal’s Olivia Smith retained her young player crown, becoming just the second player after England’s Lauren Hemp to win the award more than once. The 22-year-old Canadian scored 10 goals across all competitions in her first season at the Emirates following a £1m move from Liverpool last summer.

Teams Of The Season Dominated By Title Contenders

The PFA Premier League team of the year was shaped heavily by champions Arsenal, who conceded just 27 goals all season. Goalkeeper David Raya and defenders William Saliba, Jurrién Timber and Gabriel Magalhães all made the cut alongside midfielder Declan Rice. Manchester City placed four players, Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo while Fernandes and Brentford’s Igor Thiago completed the XI.

The WSL team of the year leaned heavily on the league’s top three clubs, with three representatives each from champions Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. Manchester United’s Jess Park and Tottenham’s Toko Koga were the only picks from outside that group.