Who won the inaugural Premier League Playmaker of the Season award in 2017-18?

Kevin De Bruyne won the inaugural Premier League Playmaker of the Season award in 2017–18. The award recognised the player with the most assists in a Premier League campaign.

De Bruyne finished the season with 16 assists for Manchester City. He secured the prize on the final day, creating Gabriel Jesus’s stoppage-time winner against Southampton. That assist moved him ahead of teammate Leroy Sané, who finished with 15.

The Playmaker award was introduced during the 2017–18 season to celebrate chance creation, rather than goalscoring. Its winner is determined by official Premier League assist statistics, so it is distinct from broader awards such as Player of the Season or fan-voted team honours.

De Bruyne’s achievement formed part of Manchester City’s record-breaking domestic campaign under Pep Guardiola. City won the league with 100 points, 106 goals and 32 victories. A frequent mix-up is to confuse the Playmaker award with the Golden Boot: Mohamed Salah won the Golden Boot that season, while De Bruyne led the assist chart.