PFA announce shortlists for Players' Player of the Year awards
Article excerpt
The Professional Footballers' Association unveiled six-player shortlists for its annual Players' Player of the Year awards, honoring athletes selected by their peers across multiple divisions. The announcement follows the PFA's release of shortlists for lower-tier competitions, with voting now underway among professional players themselves. The awards, voted entirely by players rather than journalists or fans, carry particular prestige because they reflect how competitors view one another's performances. Winners across the Premier League, EFL, and women's divisions will be announced at upcoming ceremonies.
PFA announce shortlists for Players' Player of the Year awards
The Professional Footballers' Association have announced the six-player shortlists for the Players' Player of the Year awards.
After having announced the shortlists for the EFL and WSL 2 sides yesterday, the players' trade union has today unveiled the list for the Premier League and WSL.
Starting with the men's top flight, Bruno Fernandes is a standout candidate after having been named the Premier League Player of the Year but he faces competition from Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland of local rivals Manchester City as well as three players from champions Arsenal: David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães, and Declan Rice.
Likewise, WSL top scorer Bunny Shaw will be a strong favourite for the women's prize after a league and cup double with Manchester City but she will also compete for the award with teammate Yui Hasegawa.
Another challenger is Alessia Russo who was in fine form again for Arsenal as well as Manchester United's Jess Park, Chelsea's Lauren James, and Kirsty Hanson of Aston Villa who will join Tottenham Hotspur for the 2026/27 season.
There are also awards for the PFA's Young Player of the Year award with Cherki the only player to be nominated for both men's prizes. Alongside him is teammate Nico O'Reilly who face competition from Max Dowman, Kobbie Mainoo, Rio Ngumoha, and Junior Kroupi.
For the women's award, two Chelsea players made the list of six: Alyssa Thompson and Veerle Buurman. London City Lionesses' Freya Godfrey, Tottenham's Toko Koga, Arsenal's Olivia Smith, and Laura Blindkilde-Brown complete the shortlist.
Winners for the awards will be announced on August 25th in Manchester.