Bruno Fernandes, captain of Manchester United, has been named the 2026 Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA), narrowly surpassing Arsenal‘s Declan Rice. Fernandes received 45% of the votes from the English football media, edging Rice by a mere 28 votes, making him the first United player to win the award since Wayne Rooney in 2010.
Following Fernandes in the voting was Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland, the 2023 winner, who finished third. Several Arsenal players, including David Raya, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Magalhães, also received a noteworthy number of votes. No other United player garnered any votes in the poll.
Currently, the 31-year-old Fernandes is closing in on a historic milestone, needing just one more assist in the final three Premier League matches to tie the all-time record of 20 assists in a season, held jointly by former Arsenal star Thierry Henry and ex-City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
This season, Fernandes has also netted eight league goals and has been a pivotal figure for United following the mid-season departure of head coach Ruben Amorim, helping the team qualify for the Champions League under the leadership of Michael Carrick.
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The FWA Footballer of the Year award has been awarded since 1948, with Sir Stanley Matthews being the inaugural recipient. The prestigious accolade honors the player viewed as the top footballer of the year based on influence and example.
With this win, Fernandes becomes the tenth player from United to receive this honor. Previous recipients from Old Trafford include legends like Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, and Cristiano Ronaldo. This victory positions United second in the all-time tally of winners, behind Liverpool, who have 16 awards, following Mohamed Salah‘s third win in 2025.
Additionally, Manchester City’s Bunny Shaw has won the women’s Footballer of the Year award with an impressive performance, scoring 19 goals during the team’s WSL title-winning season.
Shaw, a Jamaica international, is set to leave City when her contract expires this summer and is now a two-time recipient of the award, having also won it in 2023.