Man Utd’s Bruno Fernandes Beats Declan Rice for FWA Player of the Year

Bruno Fernandes wins FWA award after 19 Premier League assists  

Fernandes’ 8 goals and 20 assists in all competitions earned him FWA Men’s Footballer of the Year, finishing one assist short of the Premier League record.

Bruno Fernandes took 45% of the vote to beat Declan Rice by 28 votes and become the first Man Utd player since Wayne Rooney to win the FWA award...

 

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes has been voted the Football Writers’ Association Men’s Footballer of the Year following a standout campaign with the club.

The United captain secured 45% of the votes from the English football media, edging out Declan Rice by a margin of just 28 votes.

Manchester City striker and 2023 winner Erling Haaland finished third in the voting. Arsenal trio David Raya, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Magalhaes also received a significant share of votes.

Goalscorer.
Assist provider.
Award winner.

Presenting @TheOfficialFWA Footballer of the Year for 2025/26: @B_Fernandes8! 🏆❤️ pic.twitter.com/HfDMeepM33

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 8, 2026

Fernandes is the first Manchester United player to claim the FWA award since Wayne Rooney in 2010.

United’s captain has tallied 8 goals and 20 assists in 34 matches across all competitions this season, playing a key part in the team’s resurgence under interim boss Michael Carrick.

He’s also notched 19 assists in the Premier League, leaving him just one behind the all-time single-season record held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.