PFA 2026: Fernandes and Shaw Honored as Players of the Year

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City striker Bunny Shaw were the big winners at the Professional Footballers’ Association awards held early Wednesday.

According to Sky Sports, Fernandes was voted the best men’s player in the Premier League for the 2025/26 season by other players. The 31-year-old set a new league record with 21 assists, beating records previously held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He also scored 9 goals and helped United finish third in the league and qualify for Europe’s top club competition.

“It is obviously a very proud moment,” Fernandes said. “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.”

He is the first Manchester United player to win the award since Wayne Rooney in 2010.

On the women’s side, City’s Shaw, 29, won the best women’s player award for the second time. She scored 21 goals, won the top scorer prize for the third year in a row, and helped Manchester City win their first women’s league title.

Young player awards went to Arsenal’s Olivia Smith for the women, and Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly, 21, for the men. O’Reilly had a strong year, winning two trophies with his club and playing for England at the World Cup, where the team finished third.

“I had a great season,” 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 how it turned out.”

The best teams of the year were also announced. Arsenal had five players in the men’s team of the year. Manchester City had three players in the women’s team of the year, including Shaw.

In the lower leagues, awards went to Hayden Hackey, Dom Ballard, and Aaron Drinan.

Two big names were also honored for their work in football. Sir Kenny Dalglish, 75, a former Scotland and Liverpool star who also managed teams to league titles, received a merit award. Former England player Karen Carney, who played 144 times for her country and won trophies with Arsenal and Chelsea, also received one.

It was a night that celebrated both established stars like Fernandes and Shaw, and rising talents like O’Reilly and Smith.

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