Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes won the PFA Men's Player of the Year award on Tuesday, beating three Arsenal players and two stars from Manchester City
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) David Jones speaks to Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United with the PFA Players' Player of the Year on stage during the 2026 PFA Awards at the Manchester Opera House on August 25, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Bruno Fernandes won the award - but didn't vote for himself(Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
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Bruno Fernandes has revealed that he voted for an Arsenal star to win the PFA Men's Player of the Year award which he ended up claiming for himself. Manchester United captain Fernandes was rewarded for his outstanding 2025-26 season in which he broke the Premier League assist record with 21.
His form helped United finish third place and qualify for the Champions League. The Portuguese arrived at Tuesday's ceremony at the Manchester Opera House alongside his wife, Ana Pinho, and stopped for an interview on the red carpet.
As nominees aren't allowed to vote for themselves, Fernandes had to back a rival. And the 31-year-old admitted: "I won't say who it was but I voted for some Arsenal player.
"They were amazing; very strong, very difficult to play against. A team that was very successful, not just in the Premier League but also in European competition.
"Getting into that Champions League final was something that was amazing from them, keeping themselves in the competition until so late, it's something that they need to be proud of. And I think they deserve all the respect that all the Premier League has to give to them."
But Fernandes' vote ultimately counted for nothing, as he went on to win the top prize. "It was a special season, individually for me," the midfielder commented.
"And obviously, I'm very proud that all the ones that have decided to help me. I haven't thought about the (assists) record much until you guys started commenting so much. Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it and everything. But I think it got into more into my strikers and into myself.
"The more so, you get to score the goal and to give me that feeling that sometimes they even forgot about their own game. But I'm very happy because assisting means that someone is getting goals, and mostly if I'm assisting, Manchester United is getting goals.
Manchester United's Portuguese player Bruno Fernandes and his wife Ana Pinho pose pose with the Men's PFA Players' Player of the Year award backstage during the 2025-2026 Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House in Manchester, north-west England, on August 25, 2026. (Photo by Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
Bruno Fernandes celebrated with wife Ana Pinho (Image: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
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"But obviously, we don't play tennis. We play for just ourselves. We play football. We play in a team. We play for a club. We play for our fans. And there's nothing more special than that.
"It's very good to have that responsibility because it's something nice. It's something you can enjoy. Obviously, you have to deal with it. It's not always easy, but I think it's better to have that pressure than none."
Fernandes also commented on United's disappointing 2-0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull on Saturday, as Michael Carrick's side started the season on a down note.
"We're three points behind where we wanted to be at this moment," he acknowledged. "We've got a game at home that we want to win, and this is the game. And try to get those points that we have ahead of us."
United host Ipswich on Sunday.