Bruno Fernandes named Premier League's Player of the Season
He beat nominees including Arsenal title winners Declan Rice, David Raya and Gabriel to the prize
Manchester United's captain, Bruno Fernandes, has been awarded the EA SPORTS Player of the Season for the first time, following an exceptional performance throughout the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
The Portuguese midfielder has been instrumental in leading the Red Devils to third place in the league and securing a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.
Fernandes has been directly involved in 28 goals, scoring eight and assisting a joint-record 20 in his 37 Premier League appearances so far.
Record-Equalising Performance
In a recent victory against Nottingham Forest, Fernandes' 20th assist tied him with Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry for the most assists in a Premier League season.
"I'm very happy for the assist and for the win, and to finish the season on a high," Fernandes said, celebrating his record-equalling achievement.
With one match left in the campaign, Fernandes has a chance to become the Premier League's all-time assist leader if he can set up a goal during Sunday's match against Aston Villa.
Manchester United History
Fernandes has already cemented his place in Manchester United's history by surpassing David Beckham's record of 15 assists in one season during the 1999/2000 campaign.
This season, Fernandes created 132 chances — the most in the league — and 43 more than any other player, with Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai being the nearest challenger.
Recognised Achievements
In March, Fernandes was named EA SPORTS Player of the Month, matching the record held by Cristiano Ronaldo for the number of monthly awards won (six).
Recently, he was also honoured as the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year, the first Manchester United player to receive this accolade since Wayne Rooney in the 2009/10 season.
The EA SPORTS Player of the Season award, established in 1994/95, has now been awarded to Fernandes, making him the seventh Manchester United player to receive this honour. He follows the likes of Peter Schmeichel, Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic, and Wayne Rooney.
The short list for the award included Arsenal's Gabriel, David Raya and Declan Rice; Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo; Brentford's Igor Thiago, and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White.