And there you have it – the 2025-26 Premier League season is over. Arsenal are the champions while West Ham have been relegated alongside Wolves and Burnley as Tottenham secured survival on the final day. While the football hasn’t always been the most scintillating, it’s been a campaign full of twists and turns at both ends of the table, making it difficult to predict any result given the increased parity among the teams in the English top-flight.
That quality that runs right through the Premier League is in large part down to the standard of the players who now call the league their home, with individuals of world-class potential not just reserved for the elite at the top of the tree anymore.
Among those star performers, there have been those who have stood out even more for their displays over the past nine months. Here at GOAL, our team of writers and editors were each asked to rank our Player of the Year candidates, taking into account only Premier League performances. With those votes tallied, here is how our top 50 shakes out…
This was far from a vintage season for Newcastle as a poor summer of recruitment led to the Magpies falling from their fifth-placed finish of last season to 12th in 2025-26. One of those to emerge with some credit, however, was Sandro Tonali, with the Italian midfielder again showing just why some of Europe’s biggest clubs are showing an interest in signing him this summer.
From his deep-lying midfield role, Tonali looked to drive Eddie Howe’s side forward, with his range of passing particularly impressive. If this was to be his final campaign at St. James’ Park, he made sure to make his mark once more.
Having suffered relegation in each of his last three top-flight campaigns, with Sheffield United, Venezia and Spezia, Ethan Ampadu led Leeds United back into the Premier League with a point to prove. And prove that point he did, as the Wales international proved to be one of the best all-action midfielders in the division while Leeds survived with games to spare.
Ampadu ranked in the top five per cent for midfielders within the division when it came to both duels won and overall defensive contributions, while he was one the more potent purveyors of the long throw over the course of the season. Tying their Player of the Year down to a new contract, with his current one set to expire in 2027, needs to be a pre-season priority for Daniel Farke’s side.