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Premier League Player of the Season winners

The Premier League Player of the Season is one of the most prestigious individual awards in English football, honouring the standout performer of each campaign. First awarded in the 1994–95 season, it recognises the player who has made the biggest impact across the Premier League season through consistent performances, leadership, and game-changing moments.

Over the years, the Premier League Player of the Season has been awarded to some of the greatest names in football, including Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mohamed Salah. The winner is chosen through a combination of public fan votes, club captains’ choices, and expert panel decisions — making it a true reflection of all-round excellence.

Whether it’s a prolific forward, a dominant defender, or a creative midfielder, this award highlights the best of the best in Premier League football. Below is a complete list of Premier League Player of the Season winners, showcasing the elite talent that has defined each campaign.

The first Player of the Season award was given to Blackburn Rovers striker Alan Shearer, who won the Premier League title with his team and the Golden Boot that season.

Eight players have won both the Premier League Player of the Season and the Golden Boot in the same campaign, highlighting their dominance as top goalscorers. Among them, four players — Kevin Phillips, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suárez — also secured the European Golden Shoe, marking them as the top scorer across all European leagues during that season.

In total, eleven players have won the Premier League title with their club in the same year they received the Player of the Season award. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidić each achieved this double honour twice while playing for Manchester United.

Ronaldo also holds a unique place in history as the only player to have won both the Premier League Player of the Season award and the FIFA World Player of the Year award. He accomplished this in 2008, becoming the first Premier League player to be crowned the world’s best footballer.

In 2023, Erling Haaland of Manchester City became the first player in Premier League history to win both the Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season awards in the same campaign.

Premier League Player of the Season winners

SeasonPlayerPositionNationalityClub
1994–95Alan ShearerForwardEnglandBlackburn Rovers
1995–96Peter SchmeichelGoalkeeperDenmarkManchester United
1996–97Juninho PaulistaMidfielderBrazilMiddlesbrough
1997–98Michael OwenForwardEnglandLiverpool
1998–99Dwight YorkeForwardTrinidad and TobagoManchester United
1999–2000Kevin PhillipsForwardEnglandSunderland
2000–01Patrick VieiraMidfielderFranceArsenal
2001–02Freddie LjungbergMidfielderSwedenArsenal
2002–03Ruud van NistelrooyForwardNetherlandsManchester United
2003–04Thierry Henry (1)ForwardFranceArsenal
2004–05Frank LampardMidfielderEnglandChelsea
2005–06Thierry Henry (2)ForwardFranceArsenal
2006–07Cristiano Ronaldo (1)ForwardPortugalManchester United
2007–08Cristiano Ronaldo (2)ForwardPortugalManchester United
2008–09Nemanja Vidić (1)DefenderSerbiaManchester United
2009–10Wayne RooneyForwardEnglandManchester United
2010–11Nemanja Vidić (2)DefenderSerbiaManchester United
2011–12Vincent KompanyDefenderBelgiumManchester City
2012–13Gareth BaleMidfielderWalesTottenham Hotspur
2013–14Luis SuárezForwardUruguayLiverpool
2014–15Eden HazardMidfielderBelgiumChelsea
2015–16Jamie VardyForwardEnglandLeicester City
2016–17N’Golo KantéMidfielderFranceChelsea
2017–18Mohamed Salah (1)ForwardEgyptLiverpool
2018–19Virgil van DijkDefenderNetherlandsLiverpool
2019–20Kevin De Bruyne (1)MidfielderBelgiumManchester City
2020–21Rúben DiasDefenderPortugalManchester City
2021–22Kevin De Bruyne (2)MidfielderBelgiumManchester City
2022–23Erling HaalandForwardNorwayManchester City
2023–24Phil FodenMidfielderEnglandManchester City
2024–25Mohamed Salah (2)ForwardEgyptLiverpool

Several players have won the award multiple times – Thierry Henry kicking it off with Arsenal, before Cristiano Ronaldo earned two back to back awards (in both cases the two players left for Spain after their second award).

Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic is the first defender to win the award (and the only defender to win the award twice), while the most recent winner – Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah – has won his second award seven years after his first.

Multiple Premier League Player of the Season Winners

AwardsPlayerCountrySeasons
2Thierry HenryFrance2003–04, 2005–06
2Cristiano RonaldoPortugal2006–07, 2007–08
2Nemanja VidićSerbia2008–09, 2010–11
2Kevin De BruyneBelgium2019–20, 2021–22
2Mohamed SalahEgypt2017–18, 2024–25

Manchester United have had 6 players winning the award, with Manchester City with 5. Both clubs had a golden period (06/07 to 10/11 for United, 19/20 to 23/24 for City) where their players won for five consecutive years.

Premier League Player of the Season Awards by Club

ClubPlayersTotal Awards
Manchester United68
Manchester City56
Liverpool45
Arsenal34
Chelsea33
Leicester City11
Blackburn Rovers11
Middlesbrough11
Sunderland11
Tottenham Hotspur11