Like the division itself, the Premier League Player of the Month award has evolved considerably since its inception.
The emergence and subsequent prominence of social media has turned the crowning of the monthly award into somewhat of an event.
The award is significant enough to make it onto a player's individual honours list on Wikipedia and there's almost a guarantee that disgruntled supporters will vent their frustrations at their favourite player being pipped to the post by an undoubtedly more suitable alternative.
From Diafra Sakho to Erling Haaland and Mickey Evans to Thierry Henry, the Player of the Month award celebrates both unlikely purple patches and sustained brilliance.
Here's everything you need to know about the Premier League's Player of the Month award.
History of the Premier League Player of the Month award
The Premier League Player of the Month award has been handed out to the month's standout performer since the start of the 1994/95 season, a year after the inaugural Manager of the Month award was handed out.
Tottenham striker Jurgen Klinsmann became the first-ever Premier League Player of the Month in August 1994.
The award has since been received by some of the all-time greats, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. The honour has also been shared on six occasions, with teammates taking co-honours in five of these instances. However, there hasn't been a joint-Player of the Month since April 2014.
For sponsorship purposes, the award has been called the EA Sports Player of the Month since 2016 and was previously known as the Carling Premiership Player of the Month (1994–2001), the Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Month (2001–2004) and the Barclays Player of the Month (2004–2016).
How does voting for Player of the Month work?
There are typically six players shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Month award. A winner is then chosen by a combination of a public vote and the opinions of an 'expert panel'.
However, to avoid bias swinging the vote too heavily in a particular player's favour, the public vote accounts for just 10% of the overall decision. Thus, the award is pretty much decided by the experts - a panel made up of former players, journalists, referees and the captains of every Premier League club.
Who has won the Premier League Player of the Month award the most?
The two current leaders regarding most Premier League Player of the Month wins are no longer plying their trade in the English top flight.
Sergio Aguero departed Manchester City having won the award seven times and his tally was matched by Harry Kane before he left Tottenham for Bayern Munich in 2023. While Aguero is fully retired, there's a chance Kane returns to the Premier League in a bid to break Alan Shearer's all-time goal record before he hangs up his boots.
Steven Gerrard and Cristiano Ronaldo were both crowned the league's Player of the Month on six occasions, while Mohamed Salah has the most wins among players still present in the Premier League (five).
Every Premier League Player of the Month winner
Premier League Player of the Month winners by nationality
Despite the Premier League's heavy foreign influence since the start of the 21st century, the Premier League Player of the Month award has been dominated by English players.
67 different English players have won the award, ranging from Rooney to Bent (Marcus and Darren), with these wins accounting for 114 in total.
France is the most successful foreign nations but only 12 different French players have won the award - highlighting England's domination. Thierry Henry is the most successful Frenchman, winning the award four times.
The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have each accumulated double-digit POTM wins, while Argentina's nine total wins are carried by Aguero's seven victories.
Premier League Player of the Month by club
It's the usual suspects at the top of the tree, with the Premier League's dominant force (once upon a time), Manchester United, boasting 21 different players who have been named the league's Player of the Month.
While many of the names are from a more prosperous time, including Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and David Beckham, both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have won the award four times. United's winners have combined for 45 wins, with Liverpool's 33 being the next best.
Arsenal have had the most amount winners, but they've only combined for 32 POTM wins. Dennis Bergkamp matched Henry's four triumphs, but no other Gooner has won the award more than twice.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Premier League Player of the Month: Most wins and nominations.
