Rice applauds graciously as Fernandes sweeps PFA, FWA and Premier League awards

Bruno Fernandes completed a clean sweep of English football’s major individual honours at the PFA Awards on Tuesday, beating Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice to the Players’ Player of the Year prize — and Rice’s warm reaction quickly caught the attention of fans watching on.

The Manchester United captain had already claimed the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season awards after a remarkable campaign in which he broke the all-time Premier League assist record. His tally of 21 assists surpassed the previous marks set by Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20) and Thierry Henry (2002/03), and helped United secure a third-place finish and Champions League qualification.

Rice, who played a central role in Arsenal’s title triumph, was widely considered Fernandes’ closest rival for the PFA honour. When the Portugal international was announced as the winner, cameras panned to Rice sitting alongside team-mates Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, David Raya and Gabriel. Of the group, Rice was visibly the most enthusiastic in his applause.

Fans were quick to praise the England midfielder for his reaction. “One thing about Rice, he’ll always show respect. Proper mentality,” one supporter wrote. Another simply said: “Fair play to Declan Rice.”

All four of Rice’s Arsenal colleagues seated alongside him were named in the PFA Team of the Year, as was Rice himself — recognition of the collective quality that drove the Gunners’ title-winning season.

Fernandes, speaking after collecting the FWA award earlier in the year, reflected on the record-breaking assist tally. “I haven’t thought about the record much until you guys started commenting so much,” he said. “Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it. But I think it got more into my strikers and into myself — the more so, they get to score the goal and give me that feeling that sometimes they even forgot about their own game.”

The 31-year-old added that his satisfaction came from what the assists meant for the team. “Assisting means that someone is getting goals, and mostly if I’m assisting, Manchester United is getting goals,” he said.