Every Player of the Season in the Premier League from Shearer to Fernandes

The Premier League has grown into one of the most popular football leagues in the world since it started in 1992. Its beginnings go back to a big change in English football when top clubs decided to leave the Football League.

On February 20, 1992, 22 clubs in the old First Division quit the Football League. They formed the FA Premier League, which began on August 15, 1992.

This change marked a new time for English football. Clubs wanted more control over their broadcasting and money from commercial deals.

The first season in 1992/93 had 22 clubs. Sheffield United forward Brian Deane scored the very first Premier League goal, leading to a 2-1 win against Manchester United.

Even though the league kicked off in 1992, the official Premier League Player of the Season award did not start until two years later.

Blackburn Rovers' striker Alan Shearer was the first to win this award at the end of the 1994/95 season. He helped his team win the Premier League title.

Since then, many big names in English football have won this award. These include Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, and Erling Haaland.

The award shows how the league has changed over time. It reflects the strong teams like Manchester United and Arsenal in the early days, and the rise of Manchester City and Liverpool later.

According to PUNCH Online, the winners were taken from the official EPL and FA websites.

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

1994/95, Alan Shearer, Blackburn Rovers

Alan Shearer | Getty Images

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 is the only player to win the award in back-to-back seasons, doing so in 2006/07 and 2007/08.

The latest winner is Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, named the 2025/26 Player of the Season.

From Shearer’s win with Blackburn in the 1990s to Fernandes’ honor over three decades later, this award shows the players who marked different times in the league.