Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo and Pep Guardiola picked up February’s individual Premier League awards, offering some consolation in the aftermath of the midweek Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
Semenyo’s achievement is particularly impressive. The $84 million (£62.5 million) recruit became just the second January signing in Premier League history to be voted the division’s player of the month for the next February, following in the footsteps of Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes six years ago.
Just three days after signing off for Bournemouth with a stoppage-time winner against Tottenham Hotspur, Semenyo swiftly picked up from where he left off with a debut goal for City. The Ghana international scored on his first Premier League appearance at the Etihad as a Sky Blue against Wolverhampton Wanderers and netted three times across five top-flight fixtures in February.
“This is a brilliant moment for me,” the versatile winger beamed via club channels following his first-ever triumph in this particular individual award. “To win the Premier League Player of the Month award so soon after joining City is something I’ll never forget.
“My focus now is on continuing to improve and helping City to achieve the best possible results. We have so much to play for and I am really excited about this final period of the season.”
Fernandes’s assimilation on the other side of Manchester was even swifter. The former Sporting CP captain only signed for United at the end of January 2020 but made enough of an impact across his first three Premier League appearances to be voted player of the month. “I have been here for two days and I already have a song!” he smiled at the time.
February 2026 Player of the Month Nominees
- Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal)
- Nico O’Reilly (Man City)
- Dango Ouattara (Brentford)
- Antoine Semenyo (Man City)
- Benjamin Šeško (Man Utd)
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Previous Winners
| Player | Club | Month |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Grealish | Everton | August |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | September |
| Bryan Mbeumo | Man Utd | October |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | November |
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Leeds | December |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | January |
Pep Guardiola Completes Man City Double
Pep Guardiola ensured it was a clean sweep of the individual awards for Manchester City in February. Arsenal’s closest title challengers were the only side to boast four wins last month, collecting five more points than the division’s current leaders. It should be noted that the disappointing 2–2 draw with Nottingham Forest which proceeded to undo a lot of that hard work, came at the start of March, so fell outside the consideration period.
City’s humbling 3–0 defeat to Real Madrid was also overlooked for the voting process—although it certainly had an effect on Guardiola and his players.
Bernardo Silva described the scene in City’s dressing room as “really bad, really dark” after the Bernabéu reverse. The Daily Mail report that the beaten players were “disconsolate” and “couldn’t even bring themselves to shower.” Despite skipping a scrub, they still conspired to board the team coach back to the hotel “far later than normal.” It is thought to have been a silent ride.
“In these weeks we’re not going to win a lot but we can lose a lot,” Bernardo warned. Two of his City colleagues have walked away with a pair of individual triumphs this month but they will naturally have loftier collective ambitions for the season’s conclusion.
February 2026 Manager of the Month Nominees
- Keith Andrews (Brentford)
- Michael Carrick (Man Utd)
- Pep Guardiola (Man City)
- Arne Slot (Liverpool)
Previous Winners
| Manager | Club | Month |
|---|---|---|
| Arne Slot | Liverpool | August |
| Oliver Glasner | Crystal Palace | September |
| Ruben Amorim | Man Utd | October |
| Enzo Maresca | Chelsea | November |
| Unai Emery | Aston Villa | December |
| Michael Carrick | Man Utd | January |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Premier League Player, Manager of the Month: February 2026 Winners Revealed.
