The Premier League has grown into one of the world’s most watched and commercially successful football leagues since its formation in 1992. Its beginnings, however, followed a major restructuring of English football, with top-flight clubs breaking away from the Football League.
On February 20, 1992, all 22 clubs in the old First Division resigned from the Football League and formed the FA Premier League. The new competition officially kicked off on August 15, 1992.
The breakaway marked a new chapter for English football as clubs pursued greater control of television broadcasting and commercial income.
The first Premier League campaign in 1992/93 involved 22 teams, with Sheffield United striker Brian Deane making history by scoring the competition’s first-ever goal in a 2-1 win over Manchester United.
Although the league was established in 1992, the official Premier League Player of the Season award was introduced two years later.
Blackburn Rovers forward Alan Shearer became the inaugural winner at the end of the 1994/95 season after playing a key role in his club’s title-winning campaign.
Over the years, the award has gone to some of the most influential players in Premier League history, including Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
The winners have also mirrored the changing landscape of the competition, from the dominance of Manchester United and Arsenal during the early years to the rise of Manchester City and Liverpool’s resurgence as a leading force.
NEWSCLICKNG reports that the winners were compiled from information on the EPL and FA websites.
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
Only five players have collected the award twice: Henry, Ronaldo, Vidic, De Bruyne and Salah.
Ronaldo remains the only player to claim the honour in successive seasons, winning it in 2006/07 and again in 2007/08.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is the latest addition to the list after being named the 2025/26 Player of the Season.
From Shearer’s title-winning campaign with Blackburn in the 1990s to Fernandes’ recognition more than three decades after the league was established, the award has chronicled the players who have shaped different periods of Premier League history.
