Bruno Fernandes, Khadija Shaw named PFA men and women's player of the year

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has added another major individual honour to his collection after being voted the 2026 PFA Players’ Player of the Year by his fellow professionals.

The Portugal international was recognised at the Professional Footballers’ Association’s 53rd annual awards ceremony in Manchester on Tuesday, capping a remarkable 2025/26 campaign in which he emerged as the driving force behind United’s recovery.

The PFA confirmed Fernandes as the men’s winner, with the midfielder selected by players after a season in which he rewrote the Premier League assists record. He created 21 goals, surpassing the previous benchmark jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He also scored nine league goals as United recovered from a difficult start to finish third and secure Champions League football.

The award completes a remarkable individual sweep for Fernandes, who had already been named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and Premier League Player of the Year.

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

Fernandes, 31, becomes the first Manchester United player to win the PFA’s top men's prize since Wayne Rooney in 2010. He also becomes only the second Portuguese player to receive the honour, following Cristiano Ronaldo.

O'Reilly wins young player prize

Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly was named PFA Young Player of the Year after a breakthrough campaign that saw the versatile 21-year-old establish himself as an important member of Pep Guardiola’s side.

O’Reilly made 34 league appearances and was part of City’s trophy-winning campaign. His standout moment came in the Carabao Cup final, where he scored twice against Arsenal.

He also broke into the England setup and featured at the 2026 World Cup, giving an already impressive club season an international dimension.

“I had a great season. I’m very proud of the season I had. 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,” O’Reilly said.

He was also selected in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year alongside City teammates Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.

Arsenal dominate Team of the Year

Premier League champions Arsenal supplied the largest contingent in the men's PFA Team of the Year, with five players selected.

David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães, William Saliba, Jurriën Timber and Declan Rice all made the XI.

Manchester City followed with four representatives — O’Reilly, Cherki, Haaland and Semenyo — while Fernandes and Brentford forward Igor Thiago completed the team.

The selection underlines the strength of Arsenal’s title-winning campaign while also reflecting the individual influence of Fernandes, whose presence was the lone Manchester United representation.

Shaw claims women's award again

Manchester City forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw claimed the women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for the second time.

Shaw’s recognition came after another prolific Women’s Super League campaign in which she scored 21 goals and secured her third consecutive Golden Boot. Her goals helped City end a six-season Chelsea stranglehold on the WSL title.

The Jamaica international had previously won the PFA award in 2024 and now joins an exclusive group of multiple winners.

City’s success was also reflected in the WSL Team of the Year, with Shaw joined by teammates Kerstin Casparij and Yui Hasegawa.

Arsenal supplied three players — Emily Fox, Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo — while Chelsea had Hannah Hampton, Ellie Carpenter and Lauren James selected. Tottenham’s Tōko Koga and Manchester United’s Jess Park completed the side.

Olivia Smith retains women's young player honour

Arsenal forward Olivia Smith successfully defended her PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year title, becoming a two-time winner.

Smith followed her breakthrough season at Liverpool with another impressive campaign in north London, earning her place among the standout young players in the women's game.

Her latest honour also makes her the first non-English player to win the award, having represented Canada.

Full picture of the night

Beyond the Premier League and WSL headline awards, the PFA recognised outstanding players across England’s professional divisions.

Hayden Hackney won the Championship Players’ Player of the Year award for his performances with Middlesbrough, while Dom Ballard was recognised in League One for his prolific campaign with Leyton Orient. Swindon Town striker Aaron Drinan claimed the League Two award.

In the women's second tier, Birmingham City forward Lily Crosthwaite was named WSL2 Players’ Player of the Year.

The ceremony also honoured two influential figures from English football. Former England international Karen Carney and Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish received PFA Merit Awards for their contributions to the game.

For Fernandes, however, the night belonged to a season in which individual excellence finally translated into a major collective turnaround at Old Trafford. His record-breaking creativity, leadership and consistency made him the choice of the players themselves — arguably the strongest endorsement of his outstanding campaign.