Bruno Fernandes wins Premier League best player

Bruno Fernandes was named the Premier League’s EA Sports Player of the Season on May 23, giving Manchester United’s captain the award for the first time after a season in which he drove the club back into the Champions League places. The Premier League said Fernandes had directly contributed to 28 goals in 37 league appearances, with eight goals and 20 assists, as United secured third place. The award was announced by the league a day before the final round of the season. ### Why did Fernandes win the award now? Bruno Fernandes won after a campaign in which the Premier League said he was the “driving force” in Manchester United’s resurgence. The league’s official announcement said the Portugal midfielder claimed the prize for the first time after being voted the standout player of the 2025/26 campaign. (premierleague.com) Manchester United’s league position helped frame the award. United were third heading into the final day, behind Arsenal and Manchester City, and already in a Champions League place, according to the Premier League table. ### Which numbers defined his season? The number attached most closely to Fernandes’ season is 20. The Premier League said his assist for Bryan Mbeumo in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest moved him level with Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry for the most assists in a single Premier League season. (premierleague.com) Premier League statistics also list Fernandes with 20 assists and eight goals in the 2025/26 season, along with 132 chances created. (premierleague.com) The league said that chance-creation total was 43 more than the next-best player, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai. ### What did Fernandes say after receiving it? Bruno Fernandes used his first public remarks to redirect credit toward his teammates. “This is an individual award but it comes because we had a very good season together,” he said in comments published by the Premier League after receiving the trophy. (premierleague.com) Fernandes also told teammates: “Without your help this was impossible.” In a separate message carried by the Premier League from his social media post, he added: “This is not mine. (premierleague.com) This is yours. This is ours.” ### Was the award announced on May 24? The Premier League’s official award story is dated May 23, 2026, not May 24. (premierleague.com) League pages crawled on May 24 showed Fernandes as the seasonal winner, and the official announcement said he had already received the award at Carrington earlier that day. That timing matters because the social-media posts circulating on May 24 appear to have followed the league’s announcement rather than marked the original award date. (premierleague.com) The official Premier League record is the May 23 publication. ### What comes next for Fernandes and United? Sunday’s home match against Aston Villa gives Fernandes a chance to stand alone in the record book. (premierleague.com) The Premier League said one more assist would move him past De Bruyne and Henry for the outright single-season record. The final day also closes out the league table and the season’s remaining awards coverage on Premier League channels. (premierleague.com) Arsenal are due to receive the title trophy on Sunday after their match at Crystal Palace, the league said in a separate final-day explainer. (premierleague.com)