BBC Sport's inaugural end-of-season football awards have recognized the standout performers across English and Scottish leagues, with Declan Rice and Khadija Shaw headlining as the leading players in the men's and women's game. Voted on by a panel of expert pundits, journalists, and programme makers—including Chris Sutton, Danny Murphy, Fara Williams, and Ellen White—the awards paint a vivid picture of a season defined by historic triumphs and emerging talents.
Rice was the narrow winner of the Premier League Player of the Season award, edging out Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes, who set a new single-season assists record. The Arsenal midfielder's influence was pivotal as the Gunners ended a 22-year title drought, with his set-piece delivery, leadership, and box-to-box dynamism providing the foundation for Mikel Arteta's system. Rice's victory underscores how a complete midfielder can transform a team's mentality; his arrival from West Ham two years ago marked the final piece in Arsenal's puzzle, and now he has a Premier League medal to show for it.
Arteta himself claimed the Manager of the Season crown, an almost inevitable choice after guiding Arsenal from perennial runners-up to champions. The Spaniard kept his side top of the table from October onward and has also steered them to the Champions League final. His triumph signals a shift in the Premier League's power structure, with Arsenal dethroning Manchester City and Liverpool. The Gunners' success, built on defensive solidity and Rice's set-piece threat, has redefined what it takes to win the league in an era of relentless competition.
The Young Player of the Season went to Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly, whose attacking bursts from full-back became a key weapon for both club and country. O'Reilly's rapid development reflects City's ability to integrate academy products into a world-class setup, even in a season where they relinquished the title. Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi and Arsenal's Max Dowman rounded out the top three, signaling a bright future for English football.
Harrison Reed's spectacular 25-yard equalizer against Liverpool won Goal of the Season, a strike that embodied Fulham's fighting spirit. Meanwhile, the Signing of the Season was a surprise: former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka, who joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen for £17 million. Xhaka's experience and passing range helped stabilize the Black Cats' midfield, proving that smart recruitment can thrive outside the traditional top six.
In the Women's Super League, Khadija Shaw's 21 goals in 22 games powered Manchester City to their first title since 2016, earning her the Player of the Season award with over 80% of the vote. The Jamaican striker's clinical finishing and four assists made her the undisputed star of a campaign that broke Chelsea's four-year dominance. Her contract extension further cements City's ambition to build a dynasty around their talisman.
City boss Andree Jeglertz was named Manager of the Season after masterminding a near-flawless league campaign, with only one voter dissenting. Jeglertz has a chance to complete a domestic double in the upcoming FA Cup final against Brighton, underscoring how his tactical acumen and squad management outwitted Emma Hayes' successors at Chelsea. The breakthrough award went to Veerle Buurman, a young talent whose emergence hints at the WSL's deepening pool of prospects.
North of the border, the Scottish Premiership awards highlighted both heartbreak and resilience. Hearts forward Claudio Braga won Player of the Season for his 14 goals and three assists, but his side lost the title to Celtic on the final day. Manager Derek McInnes also scooped the coaching award, narrowly ahead of Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou, as Hearts came closer than any non-Old Firm side in 41 years to breaking the Glasgow duopoly. The fact that Celtic boss Martin O'Neill only placed third despite winning a fifth straight title shows the esteem for what McInnes achieved.
The Goal of the Season was Youssef Chermiti's acrobatic overhead kick for Rangers against Celtic, a moment of individual brilliance that lit up the Old Firm derby. In another sign of the shifting landscape, Lawrence Shankland is leaving Hearts for Rangers, a move that could reshape the attacking dynamics of both clubs next season.
In the EFL, Hayden Hackney's midfield mastery for Middlesbrough earned him Championship Player of the Season, though injury likely cost Boro a Premier League return. Coventry's Frank Lampard and Millwall's Alex Neil shared Manager of the Season after guiding their clubs to promotion contention; Lampard ended a 25-year top-flight exile for the Sky Blues, while Neil's Millwall fell in the play-offs.
League One saw Dom Ballard's 23 goals keep Leyton Orient up, making him the clear Player of the Season, while Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala won every vote for Manager after securing an unlikely title triumph. In League Two, Swindon's Aaron Drinan took the player award for his 22-goal campaign, but it was Andy Woodman's back-to-back promotions with Bromley that made him the unanimous managerial choice—a feat that has written the club into football folklore.
The BBC Football Awards have shone a light on the stories that define a season: from Rice's transformative impact at Arsenal to Shaw's record-breaking dominance, and from Hearts' near-miss to Bromley's fairy-tale rise. As the curtain falls, these accolades offer a lasting testament to the players and coaches who made 2025-26 unforgettable.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
