Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been crowned the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Players’ Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, capping a remarkable individual campaign for the Portuguese midfielder.
Fernandes’ triumph comes after a brilliant 2025/26 campaign in which he helped Manchester United recover from a difficult start to finish third in the Premier League and secure a return to the UEFA Champions League.
He scored nine league goals while producing a record-breaking 21 assists.
His 21 assists established a new Premier League single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 20 jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
The PFA award adds to an impressive collection of individual honours Fernandes received for his performances last season.
He was named Premier League Player of the Season, won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award and claimed Manchester United’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for a record fifth time. He also won the Premier League’s Golden Playmaker award after finishing the campaign with the league’s highest assist tally.
Fernandes becomes the first Manchester United player since Wayne Rooney in 2010 to win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award. His victory is also the 12th time a Manchester United player has claimed the prestigious honour, the most by any club in England and Wales.
The award therefore completes a remarkable individual season for the 31-year-old, whose creativity, goals and leadership were central to United’s return to the Champions League and whose record-breaking assist tally has placed his 2025/26 campaign among the most productive playmaking seasons in Premier League history.
