Eight nominees but only one can win. Who gets your vote as the BEST performer of the campaign?
Eight players have been nominated for the EA SPORTS Player of the Season award for 2025/26, and you can help decide who wins.
Three stars of Arsenal’s title-challenging side – Gabriel, David Raya and Declan Rice – have been nominated, along with Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, plus Brentford striker Igor Thiago, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, and Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. But who gets your vote?
Fans have until 12:00 BST on Monday 18 May to vote for your favourite. The votes of the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner, who will be announced next week.
EA SPORTS Player of the Season shortlist
Bruno Fernandes (Man Utd)
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Fernandes has been the inspiration behind Man Utd’s race up the Premier League table into third place, securing UEFA Champions League football for next season. United’s captain has eight goals and 19 assists in 33 Premier League matches, and is on the verge of matching the all-time assists record in a season, currently set at 20 and held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Fernandes has scored and created all kinds of different goals with vision and precision, with his EA SPORTS March Player of the Month success equalling the record of six awards held by former United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Gabriel (Arsenal)
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The Arsenal centre-back has contributed at both ends of the pitch, dominating in the heart of defence and laying the foundation for the Gunners’ charge towards a first Premier League title in 22 years. Arsenal have conceded a competition-low 26 goals in total this season, and the Brazilian has been a big part of that. Gabriel has an incredible 88 per cent successful pass rate, has won nearly two thirds of his duels, making 34 blocks and 23 interceptions, as well as scoring three goals and setting up four more.
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
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Nominated for the second campaign running, Gibbs-White has stepped up in the absence of last season’s top scorer Chris Wood and established himself as Forest’s main attacking threat. The England international has scored 13 times – nearly double his total of seven goals from 2024/25 – and assisted four more. The Forest captain’s stellar form in April, when he netted four goals and provided an assist in just three matches, earned him his first EA SPORTS Player of the Month award and helped Forest confirm their Premier League status for another season.
Erling Haaland (Man City)
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It’s been business as usual for Man City’s prolific Norwegian marksman, who is on the cusp of winning his third Coca-Cola Golden Boot award in four seasons, leading the chase with 26 goals from 34 appearances. Haaland started the campaign in style, and his nine goals in City’s opening seven matches set the tone for another remarkable season in which he became a Premier League scoring centurion in just 111 matches, 13 games fewer than the league’s all-time top scorer Alan Shearer managed. Haaland also enjoyed an extraordinary run of form from the end of August to mid-October, scoring 22 times in 12 consecutive matches across all competitions.
David Raya (Arsenal)
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Spain goalkeeper Raya has claimed the Coca-Cola Golden Glove award for the third successive season after his heroics between the posts for Arsenal in 2025/26. Raya has registered 18 clean sheets and has been ever-present for Mikel Arteta’s table-topping side, producing big saves in key moments, including a stunning stop from Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh that won December’s Coca-Cola Save of the Month award, the third time he has claimed the honour.
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
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Regarded as one of the league’s cleanest, most accurate strikers of the ball, Rice has been the driving force behind Arsenal’s title challenge. The 27-year-old has excelled playing in a No 8 role, but has also shown his versatility when asked to fill in as an emergency right-back. Rice has stepped up impressively in the absence of injured captain Martin Odegaard, and his five assists are testament to how well he has taken to new responsibilities at set-pieces,
Antoine Semenyo (Man City)
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Ghana international Semenyo played a starring role for two clubs this season, joining Man City in the January transfer window after a stunning start to 2025/26 at AFC Bournemouth. He made an immediate impact at his new club, recording three goals and one assist across five appearances in the Premier League in February, to win his first EA SPORTS Player of the Month award. He continued to impress in numerous attacking roles, including on both wings, as a forward and in midfield, slotting seamlessly into Pep Guardiola’s side as they aim to hunt down down Arsenal in the title race.
Igor Thiago (Brentford)
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After an injury-hit debut season in England’s top flight, Thiago has more than made up for lost time with a sensational first full campaign in the Premier League. The powerful forward has given Man City’s Haaland a run for his money in the race for the Golden Boot, netting 22 times, while his two goals against Sunderland in January took him to 16 for the season, the most goals scored by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.
