Bruno Fernandes became the first Manchester United star to be crowned Premier League Player of the Season since Nemanja Vidić won the award in 2010–11.The two modern icons of Old Trafford boast very different realms of expertise. Vidić’s solidity is balanced by Fernandes’s creativity, which has seen him equal the Premier League record for most assists in a single season. However, all those goals created have only been able to take United to third in the table—Vidić’s vintage won the league and reached that year’s Champions League final.Fernandes was also crowned the Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association and may very well complete a clean sweep of individual accolades at the PFA awards. “A lot of players came out and said I was player of the season. For that, I am very grateful,” Fernandes acknowledged this week. Yet, he has loftier ambitions. “I want collective awards more than anything,” he stressed.“I want to win the Premier League, I want to win the Champions League.” For now, he will have to settle for this solo piece of recognition.The Nominees Fernandes Beat to 2025–26 Premier League Player of the Season AwardDeclan Rice will have to settle for the Premier League trophy. | Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesGabriel (Arsenal)Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)Erling Haaland (Man City)David Raya (Arsenal)Declan Rice (Arsenal)Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth/Man City)Igor Thiago (Brentford)Every Premier League Player of the Season Award WinnerThierry Henry is arguably the Premier League’s greatest ever player. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty ImagesSeasonPlayerClub1994–95Alan ShearerBlackburn Rovers1995–96Peter SchmeichelMan Utd1996–97Juninho PaulistaMiddlesbrough1997–98Michael OwenLiverpool1998–99Dwight YorkeMan Utd1999–00Kevin PhillipsSunderland2000–01Patrick VieiraArsenal2001–02Freddie LjungbergArsenal2002–03Ruud van NistelrooyMan Utd2003–04Thierry HenryArsenal2004–05Frank LampardChelsea2005–06Thierry HenryArsenal2006–07Cristiano RonaldoMan Utd2007–08Cristiano RonaldoMan Utd2008–09Nemanja VidićMan Utd2009–10Wayne RooneyMan Utd2010–11Nemanja VidićMan Utd2011–12Vincent KompanyMan City2012–13Gareth BaleTottenham2013–14Luis SuárezLiverpool2014–15Eden HazardChelsea2015–16Jamie VardyLeicester2016–17N’Golo KantéChelsea2017–18Mohamed SalahLiverpool2018–19Virgil van DijkLiverpool2019–20Kevin De BruyneMan City2020–21Rúben DiasMan City2021–22Kevin De BruyneMan City2022–23Erling HaalandMan City2023–24Phil FodenMan City2024–25Mohamed SalahLiverpool2025–26Bruno FernandesMan UtdThe influence of the fan vote when deciding this award is evident from the somewhat eclectic list of winners. Sprinkled between the familiar legendary figures are a series of undoubtedly talented players whose individual brilliance was separated from their team’s collective performance.The 1996–97 winner, Juninho Paulista, stands out as an obvious example. Middlesbrough were relegated in the same season the diminutive Brazilian beguiled English soccer. Tip-toeing around the towering figures that dominated the defenses of the Premier League in the 1990s, Juninho made a mockery of his physical disadvantages, directly contributing to 20 goals (12 scored, eight created) for a side which slumped to 19th in the table.Kevin Phillips also claimed the individual award in 1999–00 despite finishing seventh. However, for a Sunderland side fresh from promotion, that represented a remarkable position, which was underpinned by the ruthless finishing of their frontman. Phillips rattled in an outrageous 30 Premier League goals for the Black Cats, claiming the European Golden Shoe as the continent’s most prolific player one year after scoring against the likes of Stockport County, Grimsby Town and Tranmere Rovers.That’s not to say that this is a strictly alternative award. Manchester United used to dominate this particular accolade while they were racking up league titles under Sir Alex Ferguson. From 2006–11, five straight awards went to those who called Old Trafford home. However, Vidić’s gong 15 years ago was the most recent until Fernandes rose to the fore this term.Most recently, this prize has been the domain of the Premier League’s two most dominate sides of the modern era; Liverpool and Manchester City. N’Golo Kanté in 2016–17 was the last player from outside that duopoly to claim the award.Most Frequent Premier League Player of the Season WinnersNemanja Vidić (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo cleaned up for Man Utd. | John Peters/Manchester United/Getty ImagesPlayerClubSeasonsThierry HenryArsenal2003–04, 2005–06Cristiano RonaldoMan Utd2006–07, 2007–08Nemanja VidićMan Utd2008–09, 2010–11Kevin De BruyneMan City2019–20, 2021–22Mohamed SalahLiverpool2017–18, 2024–25Only five players in the three decades of the award’s existence have claimed it more than once—and no one has completed a hat-trick of titles. Fernandes’s former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is the only member of this illustrious quintet to ever win the prize in consecutive seasons, dominating the Premier League and global soccer between 2006–08.Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah have amassed four of the last eight honors between them as the standout players for Manchester City and Liverpool over this modern era of triumph.Now it is Fernandes’s challenge to not only extend his own individual success, but the collective fortunes of Manchester United.READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow