Declan Rice named BBC Premier League Player of the Season as Arsenal dominate awards

Declan Rice has been named BBC Premier League Player of the Season for 2025/26, adding another major individual recognition to Arsenal’s title-winning campaign.

Declan Rice has been named the BBC’s Premier League Player of the Season for 2025/26 after playing a central role in Arsenal’s first league title in 22 years. The award was decided by BBC pundits, journalists and football programme makers, with Rice finishing narrowly ahead of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. Igor Thiago and David Raya also received notable support in the voting.

The recognition is especially significant because the official Premier League Player of the Season award went to Bruno Fernandes, not Rice. Fernandes was rewarded after a standout campaign for Manchester United, becoming the first player from the club to win the prize since Nemanja Vidic in 2011. This makes Rice’s BBC award an important alternative verdict on the season, reflecting how strongly Arsenal’s title success shaped the wider media assessment.

Arsenal also collected another major BBC honour through Mikel Arteta, who was named Manager of the Season. The decision was not completely one-sided, with Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Brentford’s Keith Andrews also receiving strong support after impressive campaigns. Still, Arteta’s title win gave him the strongest claim after finally taking Arsenal past Manchester City in the Premier League race.

The BBC Team of the Season also reflected Arsenal’s defensive strength. David Raya, Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães were all included, while Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly was the only non-Arsenal defender in the XI. Raya’s place was reinforced by his official Premier League Golden Glove win after keeping 19 clean sheets in 37 appearances.

O’Reilly also received individual recognition from both the BBC and the Premier League. The Manchester City player won the BBC Breakthrough Player of the Season award and was also voted the official Premier League Young Player of the Season after an impressive campaign in multiple roles.

Other major official awards underlined the individual quality across the league. Erling Haaland won the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 27 goals for Manchester City, claiming the award for the third time in his career. Bruno Fernandes added the official Player of the Season award to a campaign built around creativity and leadership, while Raya’s Golden Glove confirmed Arsenal’s dominance at the back.

For Arsenal, Rice’s BBC award completes the story of a season built on balance rather than one single star. Arteta’s side had the best defensive structure, a dominant midfield leader in Rice and enough attacking quality to finally end the club’s long wait for the title. The official Premier League awards may have spread recognition across Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal, but the BBC honours made one point clear: Arsenal’s return to the top was the defining story of the 2025/26 season.