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Barclays Player of the Season is a football award—not a padel ranking
Identify the Barclays Player of the Season football award, its latest winner and the dated FIP rankings to check for professional padel leaders.
“Barclays Player of the Season” refers to a football award, not a padel ranking. The Premier League used that name in its announcement of Jamie Vardy as the 2015/16 winner for Leicester City. Premier League’s Vardy announcement
The award is now called EA SPORTS Player of the Season. If you are looking for leading professional padel players instead, the relevant starting point is the International Padel Federation’s FIP rankings—with the ranking date attached. Premier League award record
Which football winner does the name refer to?
The season matters: “Barclays Player of the Season” is an award title, not the name of one permanent holder. The Premier League’s contemporary records list Vincent Kompany for 2011/12, Gareth Bale for 2012/13, Luis Suárez for 2013/14, Eden Hazard for 2014/15 and Jamie Vardy for 2015/16. Historical award record
As of 26 October 2026, the latest winner of the EA SPORTS award is Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, for 2025/26. The league says he won after supporter votes were combined with those of an expert panel. That makes it a voted seasonal honour, rather than a points-based ranking. 2025/26 award announcement
What to check for padel instead
FIP publishes separate men’s and women’s rankings, listing individual players, positions and points. In its table dated 19 October 2026, the leaders were:
| FIP ranking | Players sharing No. 1 | Points per player |
|---|---|---|
| Men | Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia | 20,409 |
| Women | Gemma Triay and Delfina Brea | 15,809 |
Source: FIP rankings, dated 19 October 2026.
Those figures establish who shared the lead in that dated ranking. They do not establish a voted “Player of the Season” winner or a final 2026 year-end position.
For padel research, keep the measures separate: a ranking position, a tournament victory and a seasonal award answer different questions. Our padel ranking guide explains the points system and why the season Race is a different table.