Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham has officially been named England's Men's Player of the Year for the 2025-26 season, winning the award for the second consecutive season.
He was voted as such by fans via the official England app, beating out Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, who is among the England players shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or in London.
Buoyed by the seven goals and one assist Bellingham tallied for England at the World Cup as England secured their best World Cup finish since 1966, the midfielder was well and truly one of the Three Lions' key figures in the tournament.
His brace at the Azteca in the 3-2 win over Mexico in the tournament's Round of 16 and another brace in Miami against Norway in the 2-1 quarter-final win were both performances that typify his importance in the squad with his ability to influence major matches.
This award also comes shortly after Bellingham officially received his trophy for winning the Bronze Boot at the World Cup due to his seven goals and assist.
This award also comes shortly after Bellingham officially received his Bronze Boot trophy at the World Cup for scoring seven goals and providing one assist.
He finished third in the tally behind France's Kylian Mbappe (10 goals, 4 assists) and Argentina's Lionel Messi (8 goals, 4 assists) and finished ahead of Haaland on the assist tiebreaker after the Manchester City forward also scored seven goals.
On the official JB5 app, Bellingham admitted that he hadn't realized the Bronze Boot was even a thing, but was grateful nonetheless to have received the award, despite only receiving the physical trophy recently.
What Did Jude Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel Say About the Award?
"It feels great. Obviously, a huge honour to be recognised by the fans again. It’s not something you think about when you play for your country, but it's obviously a beautiful little addition to the great summer we had," Bellingham said in response to being named England's player of the year.
England manager Thomas Tuchel also weighed in on the accolade, adding that he feels Bellingham was one of the players of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
"I think he was one of the players of the tournament, not only for us but for the whole tournament. He lived up to his full potential; you could just see what a competitor and what a machine he is. He just thrives under pressure, he just loves these moments, he loves these stages and it brings out the very best in him," Tuchel enthused.
Looking back, Bellingham also said that his favorite memory of the World Cup overall and favorite performance was the 3-2 win at the Azteca against Mexico.
It is a challenging venue for visiting teams, and it's over 2,200 meters above sea level, making it incredibly difficult on the body.
"Just a huge occasion. There was a lot of talk before the game about the altitude and kind of going into their domain, really, where they've been so strong for so many years and at the World Cup. And to come out on top of that and face adversity and also have a good impact on the match was just unbelievable," Bellingham said of that famous night in Mexico City.
Previous England Men's Player of the Year Winners
The previous England Men's Player of the Year winners, dating back to 2003.
- 2003 – David Beckham (Manchester United)
- 2004 – Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- 2005 – Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- 2006 – Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich)
- 2007 – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
- 2008 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
- 2009 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
- 2010 – Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
- 2011 – Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur)
- 2012 – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
- 2014 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
- 2015 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
- 2016 – Adam Lallana (Liverpool)
- 2017 – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
- 2018 – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
- 2019 – Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
- 2020-21 – Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United)
- 2021-22 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- 2022-23 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- 2023-24 – Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
- 2024-25 – Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- 2025-26 – Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
