Fernandes and Shaw Win PFA Player of the Year Awards

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw have been named the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) men's and women's player of the year, respectively. The awards, voted by fellow professionals, recognize the standout performers of the 2025-26 season.

Both players had already been honored by the Football Writers' Association (FWA) as their men's and women's footballer of the year for the same campaign, completing a notable double.

Fernandes' Record-Breaking Season

Fernandes, 31, enjoyed a remarkable individual season despite Manchester United finishing without a trophy. He set a new Premier League record for assists in a single campaign with 21, surpassing the previous mark of 20 shared by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry. His final-day performance against Brighton included setting up United's opener and scoring their third goal, capping a season in which he registered nine goals and 21 assists in 35 league appearances.

In all competitions, Fernandes contributed nine goals and 22 assists in 37 matches. His creativity was instrumental in helping United secure a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League. He becomes the first United player to win the PFA award since Wayne Rooney in 2010, and only the second Portuguese to claim the honor, following Cristiano Ronaldo's back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008.

Fernandes beat a strong shortlist that included Arsenal trio Gabriel Magalhaes, David Raya, and Declan Rice, as well as Manchester City's Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland.

Shaw's Golden Hat-Trick

Khadija Shaw, 29, secured her second PFA women's player of the year award in three seasons, and her third consecutive Women's Super League (WSL) golden boot. The Jamaica international scored 21 goals in 22 league appearances as Manchester City clinched their second WSL title. She became the first player to score 20 or more goals in three different WSL seasons, with hat-tricks against Aston Villa (four goals) and Tottenham, and a brace on the final day against West Ham.

Shaw is also the first player to win three WSL golden boots, moving ahead of two-time winners Vivienne Miedema and Sam Kerr. She added five more goals in cup competitions, including the opener in the FA Cup final, as City lifted the trophy. Shaw joins Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby as the only players to win multiple PFA women's player of the year awards.

The shortlist also included Shaw's teammate Yui Hasegawa, Aston Villa's Kirsty Hanson, Chelsea's Lauren James, Manchester United's Jess Park, and Arsenal's Alessia Russo.

Young Player Awards and Team of the Year

Manchester City defender Nico O'Reilly was named the men's young player of the year, succeeding Morgan Rogers. The 21-year-old cemented his place in City's starting XI, contributing eight goal involvements (five goals) 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 England international Lauren Hemp to win it multiple times. The 22-year-old Canada international scored 10 goals in all competitions after joining the Gunners from Liverpool for £1 million last summer.

The PFA Premier League team of the year, voted by players, was dominated by champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester City. Arsenal's defensive record of just 27 goals conceded was reflected in the selections of goalkeeper David Raya, defenders Gabriel, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber, and midfielder Declan Rice. Manchester City had four representatives: Nico O'Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, and Antoine Semenyo. Completing the XI were Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Brentford's Igor Thiago, who made his team of the year debut.