Beating Haaland and Rice! Official: Manchester United Midfielder Bruno Fernandes Wins PFA Player of the Season Award

Beijing time August 26 news: Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has won the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award. He is the first Manchester United player to receive this honor in nearly 16 years, with the previous United winner being Rooney in the 2009-10 season. At the same time, Fernandes has become the second Portuguese player to win the award after Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fernandes was named the Football Writers' Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year as early as May thanks to his record-breaking performances in the 2025-26 season. He provided 21 assists in the Premier League in a single season, breaking the previous record jointly held by De Bruyne and Henry. Although Manchester United did not win any trophies last season, the Portuguese midfielder still stood out in a highly competitive race. The award, voted for by fellow professional players, represents strong recognition of his achievements.

The six-player shortlist for the award: Cherki (Manchester City), Fernandes (Manchester United), Haaland (Manchester City), Gabriel (Arsenal), Raya (Arsenal), and Rice (Arsenal).

After receiving the award, Fernandes said in an interview: “For me personally, this has been an extraordinary season. Obviously, I sincerely thank every teammate who voted for me. Before the media repeatedly mentioned it, I did not think too much about the assist record. But when the numbers gradually approached the record, you naturally started to pay attention. This achievement would not have been possible without my forward teammates, and it also includes my own efforts. Sometimes they are focused on finishing chances and may even overlook their original rhythm in the game. But I am happy, because providing an assist means a teammate has scored; and whenever I provide an assist, it means Manchester United have scored a goal. Football is not tennis. We are not only fighting for ourselves. We play team football, represent the club, and fight for the fans. Nothing is more meaningful than that. Carrying such responsibility is a good thing and something to enjoy. Of course, you also have to deal with pressure, and the process is not always easy. But having pressure is better than having no pressure at all.”