Rice and Fernandes voted into Premier League Team of the Year

Declan Rice and Bruno Fernandes secure their places in the prestigious 2025/26 Team of the Year, following a vote by their fellow Premier League professionals. The English midfielder and his Portuguese counterpart consistently deliver standout performances in the English top flight, anchoring the heart of the pitch for their respective clubs with exceptional vision, defensive grit, and leadership. As the new 2026/27 Premier League campaign gets underway, this peer recognition underlines their status among the absolute elite competitors in modern English football, rewarding consistency across a demanding 38-game schedule.

Peer validation carries immense weight within the footballing world, making selection in the Professional Footballers' Association side one of the ultimate individual honours a player can receive. Both midfielders dictate the tempo of matches week in and week out, combining tireless defensive work rates with decisive contributions in the final third. Their inclusion reflects exceptional influence during the previous season, outshining numerous international rivals in a fiercely competitive division renowned for its physical intensity and tactical sophistication.

The formal celebration of these achievements takes place this Tuesday at the highly anticipated annual PFA awards evening, where the broader football community gathers to honour the standout performers of the previous season. Looking ahead, this early-season accolade provides both players with tremendous momentum as they navigate another gruelling campaign filled with domestic and European commitments. Maintaining such elevated standards remains essential if they hope to secure back-to-back inclusions when the next domestic cycle reaches its conclusion.