Players Who Won Premier League Player of the Season Without Winning the League
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Written by Kadiri James Madara – Communication Specialist & Sports Enthusiast
The Premier League Player of the Season award recognizes the league’s best individual performer each year, and in several cases, it has gone to players whose teams did not win the title.
One of the earliest examples is Juninho (1996–97) of Middlesbrough, followed by Michael Owen (1997–98) of Liverpool, and Kevin Phillips (1999–00) of Sunderland.
In 2000–01, Patrick Vieira stood out for Arsenal despite Manchester United winning the league.
In the modern era, Gareth Bale (2012–13) earned the award for Tottenham Hotspur, while Luis Suárez (2013–14) delivered a historic individual season for Liverpool without lifting the title.
Salah, Virgil and Kevin De Bruyne Player of the Season Awards
Later, Mohamed Salah (2017–18) and Virgil van Dijk (2018–19) both shone for Liverpool, but Manchester City were champions in those campaigns.
In 2019–20, Kevin De Bruyne won the award after a record-equalling creative season for Manchester City, even though Liverpool won the league.
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Bruno Fernandes History This Season
The most recent standout is Bruno Fernandes (2025–26) of Manchester United.
He produced one of the greatest creative seasons in Premier League history, registering 20 assists, equalling the all-time single-season record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
He also created 136 chances, the second-highest total ever recorded in a Premier League season, behind only Mesut Özil’s 146 in 2015–16.
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With his final match against Brighton still to come, he had a chance to set a new outright assist record.
These examples show that even when teams fall short of the title, individual brilliance can still define a Premier League season.
A photo collage of Michael Owen, Kevin Phillips and Gareth Bale. PHOTO/Courtesy