From Shearer to Fernandes: Every Premier League Player of the Season winner

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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.

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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.

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The move ushered in a new era for English football, with clubs seeking greater control over broadcasting and commercial revenues.

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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.

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While the league began in 1992, the official Premier League Player of the Season award was introduced two years later.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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PUNCH Online reports that these winners were curated from the EPL and FA websites.

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Here is the complete list of Premier League Player of the Season winners:

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1994/95 — Alan Shearer, Blackburn Rovers

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1995/96 — Peter Schmeichel, Manchester United

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1996/97 — Juninho, Middlesbrough

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1997/98 — Michael Owen, Liverpool

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1998/99 — Dwight Yorke, Manchester United

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1999/00 — Kevin Phillips, Sunderland

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2000/01 — Patrick Vieira, Arsenal

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2001/02 — Freddie Ljungberg, Arsenal

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2002/03 — Ruud van Nistelrooy, Manchester United

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2003/04 — Thierry Henry, Arsenal

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2004/05 — Frank Lampard, Chelsea

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2005/06 — Thierry Henry, Arsenal

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2006/07 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United

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2007/08 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United

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2008/09 — Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United

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2009/10 — Wayne Rooney, Manchester United

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2010/11 — Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United

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2011/12 — Vincent Kompany, Manchester City

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2012/13 — Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur

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2013/14 — Luis Suarez, Liverpool

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2014/15 — Eden Hazard, Chelsea

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2015/16 — Jamie Vardy, Leicester City

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2016/17 — N’Golo Kante, Chelsea

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2017/18 — Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

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2018/19 — Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool

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2019/20 — Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City

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2020/21 — Ruben Dias, Manchester City

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2021/22 — Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City

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2022/23 — Erling Haaland, Manchester City

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2023/24 — Phil Foden, Manchester City

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2024/25 — Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

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2025/26 — Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United

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Five players have won the award twice: Henry, Ronaldo, Vidic, De Bruyne and Salah.

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Ronaldo remains the only player to win the award in consecutive seasons, doing so in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

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The latest name on the list is Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, who was crowned the 2025/26 Player of the Season.

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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.

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