Salah, Rice, Palmer Headline PFA Men’s Player of the Year
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah leads a star-studded lineup of six nominees announced on Friday for the 2025 PFA Men’s Player of the Year award.
The Egyptian forward, 33, enjoyed a standout season, notching 29 goals and 18 assists as he helped drive Liverpool to a Premier League title. His dominant campaign also earned him the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award, receiving nearly 90 percent of the votes — the widest margin of victory this century.
Salah is joined on the shortlist by club teammate Alexis Mac Allister, Arsenal’s midfield dynamo Declan Rice, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Palmer’s inclusion has raised eyebrows following Chelsea’s underwhelming season, though the young forward did pick up the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2023–24.
Rice impressed in his debut season at Arsenal, contributing a career-best nine goals and 10 assists across 52 matches in all competitions. Isak, meanwhile, struck 23 times for Newcastle and played a key role in their historic League Cup triumph — the club’s first major trophy in 56 years.
Despite a turbulent season for Manchester United, Fernandes remained a consistent performer with eight league goals and 10 assists — one of the few bright spots in their worst top-flight campaign since 1973–74.
The winners will be announced at the annual PFA Awards ceremony, set to take place in Manchester on August 19.