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The Premier League is home to some of the finest footballing talent the world has seen. In the past, world-class players have come to the league and taken the quality of football to another level. Others came through the ranks as local boys, and established themselves as legends. The Premier League has seen several success stories.
Players like Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole and Yaya Toure all plied their trade in the league for multiple seasons. Their performances caught fan's eye, and helped their team compete for honours.
Fans play a crucial role in the sport, and their opinions have slowly started carrying more weight than ever before. Clubs now offer fans exclusive access to players, training sessions and more, with the game constantly growing and changing.
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Over time, their opinions on players' performances have carried greater weight, too. Liverpool's Sadio Mane won the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award last season.
On that note, here's a look at the top ten players this year as per fans' ratings:
#10 Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Joao Cancelo joined Manchester City from Juventus in 2019 for a fee of £27.4 million-plus Danilo, totalling up to £60 million. The move made Cancelo the most expensive right-back ever.
Since joining City, the full-back has made 100 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing 13 assists. Pep Guardiola usually deploys Cancelo as a left-back, with the freedom to join the midfielders and make a line of four in City's midfield.
The Portuguese's ability to drive forward while maintaining positional awareness makes him key to City's bid for the Premier League title. He recently provided a sublime assist for Raheem Sterling against Everton.
Joao Cancelo already has ten goal contributions this season, and could play a big part over the busy Christmas period. He has established himself as a key member of Pep Guardiola's squad.
#9 Jorginho (Chelsea)
Jorginho joined Chelsea from Napoli in 2018 for a fee of £50 million-plus a potential £7 million in add-ons. Since then, the midfielder has been the heart and soul of Chelsea's midfield.
During his time with the Blues, Jorginho has scored 23 goals and provided five assists in 162 games. He was key in Chelsea's march to the UEFA Champions League title last season.
He also played a key role for Italy in their triumphant UEFA Euro 2020 campaign. Jorginho was included in the 'Team of the Tournament' for his performances.
The midfielder was awarded the 2020-21 UEFA Men's Player of the Year trophy. He also finished third in the 2021 Ballon d'Or rankings.
Jorginho remains a key player in Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea team. He could also be an important member of the Italy squad who face two qualifying rounds to make it to next year's FIFA World Cup.
#8 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin De Bruyne joined Manchester City from Wolfsburg on a six-year contract in 2015 for a fee of £55 million. Having struggled in the Premier League with Chelsea earlier, De Bruyne has now established himself as one of the best players in the game.
Since joining in 2015, the Belgian has scored 72 goals and provided 110 assists in 281 games across competitions. He played a key role for Manchester City in the 2020-21 season, scoring ten goals and assisting 18 in 40 games.
De Bruyne has incredible vision, a potent shot and a varied passing range that help City attack smoothly. He has provided two sublime assists in the past in the Premier League. One was against Stoke City for Leroy Sane, while the other was against Aston Villa for Gabriel Jesus.
He has five goals in 19 games this season so far. That includes a recent piledriver against Leeds United in the Premier League.
The 2019-20 Premier League Player of the Season will look to resurrect the form that helped City dominate the league. They face tough competition this season as they eye their fourth Premier League title in five years.
#7 Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Ruben Dias signed for Premier League holders Manchester City from Benfica in 2020 on a six-year contract. That deal saw Nicolas Otamendi go the other way. City paid a fee totalling £61.64 million for the Portuguese defender.
Since then, Dias has helped improve City's defence immensely. He is a strong, right-footed centre-back who can pass the ball with both feet. Dias is adept at finding teammates with long passes. The Portuguese, though, is most renowned for his defensive efforts, especially the blocks he makes.
When the attacker in the Leicester City game went through on goal, Dias made a clutch interception.
He produced another fabulous block in the same fixture a year later, denying a goalscoring opportunity for Youri Tielemans.
Ruben Dias could be a key part of Pep Guardiola's squad this season as they look to secure yet another Premier League title.
#6 Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Mason Mount is a Chelsea academy product, coming through the ranks at Cobham and up into the first team. He was sent on loan to Vitesse and Derby County in 2017 and 2018 to aide his growth.
Mount has been a key part of the title-challenging Chelsea team since being handed his debut by Frank Lampard in 2019. He has scored 24 goals and provided 21 assists in 129 games for the Blues so far. He has been the most prolific English midfielder in the Premier League this year, with 12 goals.
The youngster also has ten goal contributions this season, and is a key member of the starting XI. That's significant as Timo Werner has struggled for form, while Romelu Lukaku was out injured for a while.
Mount has continued to thrive under Tuchel, and will look to replicate his form from late last season as Chelsea head into a crucial period of fixtures.
#5 Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Edouard Mendy signed for Chelsea in 2020 from Rennes for a fee of £22 million. Since then, he has been a wall in Chelsea's goal, improving their defensive stability tremendously.
Mendy is tall, imposing, dominant, and uses his incredible athleticism to cover all areas of the goal and make eye-catching stops. Last season, he played 47 games for club and country, conceding just 27 goals. Mendy kept a whopping 27 clean sheets last season. He was key in Chelsea's Champions League triumph.
The custodian has played 28 games this season, conceding 18 goals. Mendy has managed to keep 13 clean sheets already.
If Chelsea harbour any hopes of retaining their Champions League title and competing for the Premier League, Mendy will have to be at the top of his game.
#4 Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Phil Foden is a Manchester City boy through and through. He came through their ranks at their academy before being handed his first professional contract in 2016. He is currently the youngest-ever player to receive a Premier League winners' medal.
Foden, 20, is an incredibly talented attacking midfielder who is pacey, can dribble effortlessly, and can either cross the ball or take shots himself. He comes off as a complete attacking package. Foden has scored 37 goals and provided 29 assists in 142 games for City.
Last season, he was City's only player to record double figures in goals and assists (24 in total) .
Phil Foden already has 13 goal contributions in just 18 appearances this season. He will hope to continue his trajectory towards becoming an all-time English great.
#3 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Bruno Fernandes signed for Premier League giants Manchester United during the January transfer window in the 2019-20 season. United paid Sporting CP a fee of £67.6 million to secure the midfielder's services. Since his arrival, he has been nothing short of world-class.
The Portuguese has scored 45 goals and assisted 38 in 102 appearances for the Red Devils across competitions. He made an instant impact after signing, scoring 28 and assisting 21 in 58 appearances in his first full season. That included 19 goals and 14 assists in domestic competitions.
He was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the 2020-21 season. Since then, he has become one of the most important player in a resurgent Manchester United team.
Fernandes has made a slow start to proceedings this season, with five goals and nine assists in 22 appearances across competitions. He will be eager to find form before the European knockout games begin early next year.
#2 Declan Rice (West Ham United)
Declan Rice spent most of his youth years (2006-14) at Chelsea before joining West Ham United's academy in 2015. After making an instant impression, Rice was handed his first professional contract by the Hammers in 2015.
Since then, Rice has gone on to make 166 appearances for West Ham at just 22 years of age. He was also a key member of England's squad at UEFA Euro 2020, where he helped his nation reach the final.
Rice has reached a whole new level with his performances this season, with his numbers showing well-rounded development.
Declan Rice has found great form and mentorship under David Moyes. Fans - especially West Ham's - will hope he continues to develop into the world-class player he's slowly becoming.
#1 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Liverpool's Egyptian king Mohamed Salah is the Fans' Premier League Player of the Year for 2021.
Salah scored 31 goals and provided seven assists in 52 games in the 2020-21 season. This season, though, he has reached a new level. Salah has 15 goals and 11 assists in 18 games in the Premier League so far. He also has six goals in the UEFA Champions League this season, taking his total tally to 22 goals and 11 assists this campaign.
Salah currently sits atop the goalscorers' as well as the assist-leaders' charts in the Premier League. He has also been the frontrunner in other parameters as well, including shots taken.
Mohamed Salah was named Liverpool's and the PFA Fans' Player of the Season for the 2020-21 campaign. The Egyptian looks all set to retain that title and perhaps win more. That would depend on how he fares with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2022.
