From Shearer to Fernandes: Every Premier League Player of the Season winner
August 26, 2026 8:20 am
The Premier League has become one of the most watched and commercially successful football competitions in the world since its creation in 1992, but the competition’s origins can be traced to a major shake-up in English football that saw the top-flight clubs break away from the Football League.
On February 20, 1992, the 22 clubs in the old First Division resigned from the Football League to establish the FA Premier League, with the new competition beginning on August 15, 1992.
The move ushered in a new era for English football, with clubs seeking greater control over broadcasting and commercial revenues.
The inaugural 1992/93 season featured 22 clubs, and Sheffield United forward Brian Deane scored the first-ever Premier League goal in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United.
While the league began in 1992, the official Premier League Player of the Season award was introduced two years later.
Blackburn Rovers striker Alan Shearer became the first recipient at the end of the 1994/95 season after helping his side win the Premier League title.
Since then, some of the biggest names in English football have claimed the individual prize, including Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
The award has also reflected the changing eras of the competition, from dominant Manchester United and Arsenal sides in the early years to the emergence of Manchester City and the return of Liverpool as a major force.
PUNCH Online reports that these winners were curated from the EPL and FA websites.
Here is the complete list of Premier League Player of the Season winners:
1994/95 — Alan Shearer, Blackburn Rovers
1995/96 — Peter Schmeichel, Manchester United
1996/97 — Juninho, Middlesbrough
1997/98 — Michael Owen, Liverpool
1998/99 — Dwight Yorke, Manchester United
1999/00 — Kevin Phillips, Sunderland
2000/01 — Patrick Vieira, Arsenal
2001/02 — Freddie Ljungberg, Arsenal
2002/03 — Ruud van Nistelrooy, Manchester United
2003/04 — Thierry Henry, Arsenal
2004/05 — Frank Lampard, Chelsea
2005/06 — Thierry Henry, Arsenal
2006/07 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
2007/08 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
2008/09 — Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United
2009/10 — Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
2010/11 — Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United
2011/12 — Vincent Kompany, Manchester City
2012/13 — Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur
2013/14 — Luis Suarez, Liverpool
2014/15 — Eden Hazard, Chelsea
2015/16 — Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
2016/17 — N’Golo Kante, Chelsea
2017/18 — Mohamed Salah, Liverpool
2018/19 — Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool
2019/20 — Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
2020/21 — Ruben Dias, Manchester City
2021/22 — Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
2022/23 — Erling Haaland, Manchester City
2023/24 — Phil Foden, Manchester City
2024/25 — Mohamed Salah, Liverpool
2025/26 — Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United
Five players have won the award twice: Henry, Ronaldo, Vidic, De Bruyne and Salah.
Ronaldo remains the only player to win the award in consecutive seasons, doing so in 2006/07 and 2007/08.
The latest name on the list is Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, who was crowned the 2025/26 Player of the Season.
From Shearer’s Blackburn triumph in the 1990s to Fernandes’ recognition more than three decades after the Premier League’s creation, the award has provided a record of the players who have defined different eras of the competition.
Tosin Oyediran is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over eight years of professional experience in reporting and storytelling. He is known for conducting incisive interviews and producing compelling human-angle stories that bring clarity and depth to the news. Tosin covers a broad range of beats including politics, health, advocacy, sports, and entertainment, with a strong focus on people-centred reporting. His work reflects firsthand newsroom experience, editorial insight, and a commitment to accurate, engaging, and trustworthy journalism.
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