Having already claimed the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award earlier this month, Fernandes has now added the Premier League's own prestigious end-of-season honour to his trophy cabinet, cementing his status as the undisputed best player in England's top flight this season. For a player who has carried Manchester United on his shoulders through years of turbulence and rebuilding, this moment represents the ultimate validation.
Bruno Fernandes Crowned EA Sports FC Premier League Player of the Season 2026
It is official. Bruno Fernandes has been named the 2025/26 EA Sports FC Premier League Player of the Season — and in doing so, the Manchester United captain has completed one of the most remarkable individual doubles English football has seen in years.
What Is the EA Sports FC Player of the Season Award?
Before diving into the details of Fernandes' historic win, it is worth understanding exactly what this award represents and why it carries such enormous prestige.
The EA Sports FC Premier League Player of the Season is the official individual award presented by the Premier League at the end of every campaign. Unlike the FWA Footballer of the Year — which is decided exclusively by football journalists — the EA Sports award is determined by a combination of public fan votes and a panel of football experts, making it a true reflection of both popular opinion and professional judgement.
Crucially, the award covers Premier League matches only, meaning every goal, assist, and performance is measured purely within the context of England's top division. Winning it requires sustained excellence across an entire 38-game season — not just a purple patch or a standout month.
The Competition Was Fierce — But Fernandes Stood Alone
The shortlist for the 2025/26 EA Sports FC Player of the Season featured eight of the Premier League's finest performers, making Fernandes' victory all the more impressive. The nominees included:
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — 26 goals, 8 assists, chasing a third Premier League Golden Boot
- Declan Rice (Arsenal) — the driving force behind Arsenal's title challenge, 63 chances created
- David Raya (Arsenal) — 18 clean sheets, winning the Golden Glove for a third consecutive season
- Gabriel (Arsenal) — dominant at both ends with 88% pass completion, 3 goals and 4 assists
- Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) — 13 goals, stepping up as Forest's main attacking threat
- Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City) — 16 goals after a stunning start at Bournemouth and January move to City
- Igor Thiago (Brentford) — 22 goals, making history as the top-scoring Brazilian in a single Premier League season
Each of these players delivered outstanding campaigns. Yet when the fan votes were combined with expert panel scores, only one name stood at the top — Bruno Fernandes.
The Numbers That Won It: A Record-Breaking Season
The statistics behind Fernandes' 2025/26 Premier League campaign are nothing short of extraordinary. In 37 Premier League appearances, the Manchester United captain delivered:
- 8 Premier League goals
- 20 Premier League assists — equalling the all-time Premier League single-season assist record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne
- 28 direct goal contributions across the campaign
- 132 chances created — the most of any player in the Premier League this season, and a staggering 43 more than the second-best creator
That assists tally tells the most compelling story. When Fernandes set up Bryan Mbeumo in Manchester United's 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest to record his 20th assist of the season, he etched his name into Premier League history — joining an elite club of just two other players to have reached that mark in a single top-flight campaign.
"I'm very happy for the assist and for the win, and to finish the season on a high," Fernandes said after his record-equalling feat — a typically understated reaction from a player who had just achieved something only two others in Premier League history had managed before him.
In terms of chances created, Fernandes was in a league entirely of his own. His tally of 132 chances created dwarfed every other player in the division, with Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai the closest rival — still 43 chances behind. That gap is not just impressive; it is historically dominant.
Breaking Records: Surpassing David Beckham at Manchester United
Fernandes' record-breaking season extended beyond Premier League history into the specific annals of Manchester United. With his extraordinary assist tally, the Portuguese captain surpassed David Beckham's long-standing record for the most assists by a Manchester United player in a single Premier League season — a record the legendary midfielder had held since the 1999/2000 campaign with a haul of 15.
Overtaking a record set by one of the most celebrated players in United's history is a landmark achievement that places Fernandes firmly among the club's all-time greats. From Eric Cantona to Cristiano Ronaldo, very few players have redefined what creative excellence looks like at Old Trafford — but in 2025/26, Fernandes has done exactly that.
A Win That Defies Convention: Third Place Champions the Season
One of the most remarkable aspects of Fernandes' EA Sports Player of the Season win is the context in which it was achieved. Historically, this award has gone to players from title-winning or title-challenging clubs. In fact, the last five winners of the award all played for the eventual Premier League champions that season.
Fernandes broke that pattern entirely. Manchester United finished third in the Premier League — a significant achievement given where the club was just seasons ago, but not a title challenge. The fact that the Portuguese captain was so overwhelmingly dominant in the voting despite not playing for the champions underlines just how exceptional his individual contribution was.
When voters — fans and experts alike — look past the table and judge purely on quality and impact, Fernandes' season was simply impossible to overlook.
The Historic Double: FWA and EA Sports in the Same Season
With the EA Sports FC Player of the Season now secured, Fernandes becomes one of the very rare players in English football to win both the FWA Footballer of the Year and the EA Sports FC Premier League Player of the Season in the same campaign.
The two awards represent different aspects of football recognition — one from the media, one combining fans and experts — and winning both simultaneously signals a near-universal consensus that Fernandes was the finest player in England's top division in 2025/26.
It is a double that will be remembered for years to come at Old Trafford and beyond.
What This Season Means for Manchester United
Beyond the personal glory, Fernandes' award-winning season carried real, tangible consequences for Manchester United as a club. His creativity, leadership, and relentless consistency were the driving force behind United's charge to third place in the Premier League — and with it, a long-awaited return to the UEFA Champions League.
For a club of United's stature, Champions League football is not a luxury — it is a necessity. The fact that Fernandes almost single-handedly dragged a rebuilding squad back into Europe's elite club competition speaks volumes about his value to the team.
Conclusion: The Premier League's Best Player — By Every Measure
Bruno Fernandes' 2025/26 season will be studied and celebrated long after the final whistle of this campaign. Record-breaking assists, unmatched chance creation, two major individual awards, and Champions League football secured — it is a body of work that stands up against the very best individual seasons the Premier League has ever witnessed.
At 31, with his best football arguably still ahead of him and the Champions League stage awaiting, the Manchester United captain has made one thing abundantly clear: he is not just Manchester United's best player — he was the Premier League's best player in 2025/26, and now every major award in English football agrees.