The leading figures of English football have converged on Manchester for the annual Professional Footballers’ Association Awards, with Premier League stars, managers, former players and England representatives among those attending Tuesday night’s ceremony.
The event is being staged at the Opera House Theatre and brings together many of the players who shaped the 2025-26 campaign, with several of the night’s most prestigious individual and team awards still to be decided.
The ceremony has also provided a high-profile gathering for football figures away from the pitch, including former internationals and senior executives from some of England’s biggest clubs.
Arsenal Arrive in Force After Title Success
Premier League champions Arsenal have one of the largest contingents at the ceremony.
David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Declan Rice are representing the men’s team, with the five players hoping to earn recognition in the PFA Team of the Year and potentially challenge for the PFA Player of the Year award.
Arsenal spent much of last season battling Manchester City for the Premier League title before beginning the new campaign by beating City in the Community Shield.
The presence of so many Arsenal players underlines the strength of their successful campaign and gives the club a strong chance of featuring prominently among the night’s winners.
Manchester City’s Young Star Leads Young Player Race
Manchester City are also well represented, with Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly among the club’s representatives.
Semenyo enjoyed an impressive campaign at Bournemouth before his move to City, while Cherki has also become part of the club’s attacking options.
O’Reilly, meanwhile, emerged as one of the breakthrough players of the season.
The 21-year-old academy graduate enjoyed a particularly strong campaign and subsequently earned a place in England manager Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.
His rapid development has made him the leading contender for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Tuchel himself is attending the ceremony, adding another significant England connection to an already star-studded gathering.
Bruno Fernandes Arrives After Record-Breaking Season
Manchester United have sent a senior delegation to the awards, with head coach Michael Carrick, chief executive Omar Berrada and captain Bruno Fernandes among those present.
The United contingent arrives just hours after the club completed the £70 million signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton, adding further significance to the evening for Carrick and the club’s leadership.
Baleba is expected to bring greater energy and physicality to United’s midfield, while Fernandes will remain central to Carrick’s plans.
Fernandes Chases Another Major Individual Honour
Fernandes enters the awards ceremony as one of the strongest candidates for PFA Player of the Year after an outstanding 2025-26 campaign.
The Portuguese midfielder set a new Premier League record with 21 assists during the season, establishing himself as one of the division’s most productive creative players.
His trophy cabinet already contains major individual recognition from the previous campaign.
In May, Fernandes was named the Football Writers’ Association’s men’s Footballer of the Year before also collecting the Premier League Player of the Season award.
A PFA victory would therefore complete a remarkable run of individual honours.
Liverpool Legend Dalglish Joins the Guests
Among the distinguished former players attending is Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, who appeared on the red carpet alongside his wife Marina.
Dalglish remains one of the most celebrated figures in Liverpool history and was among the prominent former players adding prestige to the ceremony.
The event has also attracted a large contingent from the women’s game, with Arsenal represented by Alessia Russo, Mariona Caldentey, Emily Fox and Olivia Smith.
Former Lionesses Add Star Power
A number of former England women’s internationals are also in attendance.
Karen Carney, Eni Aluko, Jordan Nobbs and Toni Duggan are among the former Lionesses attending the Manchester ceremony, highlighting the increasingly prominent role of women’s football within the PFA’s annual celebration.
Their presence comes alongside the strong Arsenal representation from the women’s game, giving the club a notable presence across both ceremonies.
Former Premier League Stars Gather
The guest list also includes a number of familiar former male players.
Mikael Silvestre, Sebastian Bassong, Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and Kolo Toure are among the former professionals attending the event.
For Silvestre, the evening comes shortly after he became involved in a major debate surrounding the leadership of world football.
Silvestre Takes Aim at FIFA Leadership
The former Manchester United and Arsenal defender made headlines on Monday after publicly calling on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down.
Silvestre, who serves on FIFA’s 16-member Players’ Voice Panel, used social media to demand change within the organisation, declaring that “Enough is enough.”
His intervention was subsequently shared by former France international Emmanuel Petit and England women’s star Lucy Bronze.
The criticism comes amid wider controversy surrounding FIFA and its leadership, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin also reportedly facing questions over Infantino’s direction for the organisation.
Players Voice Concerns Over FIFA’s Direction
The criticism goes beyond Silvestre and reflects wider concerns among football figures about how major decisions are being made within the sport.
A statement associated with the players argued that football had moved away from its traditional values under FIFA’s current leadership and accused decision-makers of failing to properly consult players and supporters.
It also criticised major decisions being taken without sufficient consideration for the fans whose support underpins the sport.
The statement argued that the leadership of football’s governing bodies must distinguish between institutional interests and what is ultimately best for the game.
Why Silvestre’s Intervention Matters
Silvestre’s position makes his criticism particularly notable because he is not speaking entirely from outside football’s governing structures.
His role on FIFA’s Players’ Voice Panel was created to provide input on initiatives, including efforts to combat racism, meaning his public intervention comes from someone with a formal connection to the organisation.
The statement called on other stakeholders within football to participate in reshaping the future of the sport and argued that recent developments had made remaining silent increasingly difficult.
Awards Night Carries Wider Football Debate
While the focus of Tuesday’s event remains on celebrating players and their achievements, the gathering comes at a time when football is facing broader debates about governance, player influence and the direction of the sport.
The combination of leading current players, former stars, club executives and football officials has therefore created an unusually high-profile backdrop for the ceremony.
For the nominees, however, attention will ultimately return to the awards, with Arsenal’s title-winning stars, Fernandes and O’Reilly among those attracting the greatest interest.
What’s Next?
The PFA Awards will reveal the players selected for the Team of the Year and announce the winners of the major individual categories, including the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year.
For Fernandes, victory would cap a season in which he has already collected two major individual awards and rewritten the Premier League’s single-season assist record.
For O’Reilly, winning the Young Player award would provide further recognition of a breakthrough campaign that has already taken him from Manchester City’s academy to the England senior setup.
Summary
Manchester has become the centre of English football’s attention as leading players and personalities gather for the PFA Awards.
Arsenal have arrived with a formidable group of title-winning stars, while Manchester City are represented by several key players, including young favourite Nico O’Reilly.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is also among the leading contenders after a record-breaking campaign.
Away from the awards themselves, former players including Mikael Silvestre have used the gathering to highlight wider concerns about football governance, ensuring Tuesday’s ceremony carries significance well beyond the presentation of individual trophies.
