The Manchester United captain had already been named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in May following a record-breaking 2025-26 campaign, in which he registered 21 Premier League assists to break the all-time single-season record previously shared by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.
Fernandes beat off competition from a strong six-man shortlist that also included Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland of Manchester City, along with Arsenal trio Gabriel Magalhães, David Raya and Declan Rice, to claim the prize.
The award carried particular significance given United failed to win a trophy last season, with the recognition instead reflecting the esteem in which Fernandes is held by his fellow professionals, since PFA awards are voted for by players themselves.
"It was a special season, individual for me. And obviously, I'm very proud that all the ones that have decided to help me," Fernandes said.
"I haven't thought about the (assists) record much until you guys started commenting so much. Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it and everything.
"But I think it got into more into my strikers and into myself. The more so, you get to score the goal and to give me that feeling that sometimes they even forgot about their own game."
Reflecting on what the assists record meant to him personally, Fernandes emphasised the collective nature of the achievement.
"I'm very happy because assisting means that someone is getting goals, and mostly if I'm assisting, Manchester United is getting goals," he said. "But obviously, we don't play tennis. We play for just ourselves. We play football.
"We play in a team. We play for a club. We play for our fans. And there's nothing more special than that. It's very good to have that responsibility because it's something nice. It's something you can enjoy. Obviously, you have to deal with it. It's not always easy, but I think it's better to have that pressure than none."
Fernandes's individual brilliance came against the backdrop of a difficult campaign for United collectively, who endured a shaky start before recovering under manager Michael Carrick to finish third in the Premier League and secure a return to the Champions League. His nine goals to go with the 21 assists underlined his all-round influence on United's attacking play throughout the season.
The PFA prize adds to an already substantial list of individual honours collected by Fernandes across the season, and makes him the first Manchester United player to win the award since Wayne Rooney claimed it in 2009-10.
The 31-year-old was presented with his trophy by former United team-mate Juan Mata at Tuesday's awards ceremony in Manchester, an evening that also saw Manchester City's Bunny Shaw claim the women's Player of the Year prize for a second time and team-mate Nico O'Reilly named the men's Young Player of the Year.