Bruno Fernandes Wins PFA Player Award as Femi Azeez Takes Team Honour

Chillers, drop the remotes and look at the receipts, because while the algorithm pushed Bruno Fernandes front and centre again, we need to talk about who else walked away with respect when the cameras weren’t zoomed in on the diamonds.

You see, the PFA Awards happened, and honestly, my take is that the industry loves to pretend the second division doesn’t exist until it’s convenient for a headline. But I could be wrong.

Assist King, Trophy Cabinet Full?

Bruno Fernandes didn’t come to play games. The Manchester United star was awarded the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, and if the stats are anything to go by, he’s operating on a different frequency entirely. We’re talking about a record-breaking number of assists that apparently left the rest of the league chasing shadows. My bet is that every midfielder in England woke up checking their own passing metrics with sweat on their brows after seeing those numbers. It’s impressive, sure, but does the constant spotlight leave any room for error, or is the pressure starting to show behind the glamour?

The 25-Year-Old Stealing the Show

Meanwhile, over in the Championship, Femi Azeez managed to secure his spot in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, proving that young guns don’t just belong in the lower leagues; they can dominate them too. At 25 years old, Azeez delivered a campaign so strong that the pros took notice, earning recognition alongside veterans who’ve been grinding for decades. Honestly, face card for face card, keeping that level of performance when the stakes feel different requires a mental toughness that nobody talks enough about. I reckon clubs need to stop looking solely at the transfer fee and start paying attention to how players like Azeez control the pitch day in, day out.

One Night, Two Levels of Respect

Both these honours were handed out at the same Professional Footballers’ Association awards ceremony, which forces us to ask whether the industry truly values consistency across all divisions or if they’re just throwing confetti at the easiest targets. When Bruno and Femi stood on that stage together, it felt like a reminder that football has layers, and skipping the bottom tier might cost you the complete picture of who the real talents are.

Let’s be realistic for a second. Sponsors love a name they already know, and the mainstream media treats the Championship like a training ground for stories that happen later. But athletes play for pride and promotion just as much as they play for paychecks, and when the PFA backs a kid from the second division, it punches back at the idea that you have to be in the big leagues to be elite. That’s fine, but it challenges the whole narrative we’ve been fed for years.

Reporting based on coverage from SABC Sport and Zalebs.