Nominees for the Eredivisie Player of the Year award announced

Tjaronn Chery

At 37 years old, Tjaronn Chery is the oldest nominee, but after eighteen seasons at the highest level, he appears to have lost none of his quality. The N.E.C. Nijmegen captain has been directly involved in sixteen goals this season (ten goals and six assists) and regularly stood out with spectacular strikes. Chery has taken 98 shots this campaign, 42 of which were on target, while 59 came from outside the penalty area. With his powerful shooting and attacking drive, he continues to trouble defenders and goalkeepers on a weekly basis.

Mika Godts

After winning three Talent of the Month awards, Mika Godts is still waiting for his first Player of the Month title, but he has at least secured a place among the five best players of the season. The Ajax attacker has been a weekly standout in Amsterdam and is currently the most valuable player (MVP) in the Eredivisie with seventeen goals and twelve assists (29 goal involvements). In addition, he consistently entertains fans with the most dribbles (180), the most successful dribbles (83), his ability to create chances from open play (72), and the occasional Zlatan-esque goal.

Ismael Saibari

Ismael Saibari has been directly involved in 23 goals in 26 matches this season (15 goals and 8 assists), making him the highest-scoring midfielder in the Eredivisie. Saibari has also recorded 82 dribbles, a pass accuracy of 85 per cent, and 50 chances created from open play. The 25-year-old midfielder has particularly excelled in the big games: against clubs currently in the top six, he produced five goals and three assists. His hat-trick away at Feyenoord remains one of the defining moments of the season.

Jacob Trenskow

Jacob Trenskow is the only nominee representing a club currently outside the top five, but especially during the second half of the season he has emerged as one of the league’s biggest revelations. The 25-year-old Dane has scored twelve goals and added five assists this season. Remarkably, all twelve of his goals have been scored with his left foot. In addition, only three players have been directly involved in more shots this campaign than Trenskow (144 in total: 78 shots and 66 chances created). His strong performances have firmly placed the sc Heerenveen forward on the radar of clubs both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Joey Veerman

Joey Veerman is the assist king of the Eredivisie this season with fourteen assists. The PSV midfielder has also scored eight goals himself, meaning he has never before been involved in so many goals in a single season (22). Veerman has also excelled in build-up play. The playmaker delivered the most line-breaking passes (396), provided the most passes leading directly to a created chance (44), and created the second-highest number of chances overall (93). It is no surprise that Veerman has become an indispensable part of Peter Bosz’s title-winning side.

For the Women’s Eredivisie Player of the Year award, the nominees are Sisca Folkertsma (PSV), Mao Itamura (Feyenoord), Danique Noordman (Ajax), Liz Rijsbergen (PSV) and Jill Roord (FC Twente).

The nominees were selected in collaboration with players’ union VVCS by the captains of the clubs. The captains will also ultimately decide who will be named the best player in both the Eredivisie and the Women’s Eredivisie.

In addition to the Player of the Year awards, several other honours will be presented during the Eredivisie Awards. The winners of the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year awards in both the Eredivisie and the Women’s Eredivisie will also be announced. The nominees for those awards will be revealed on Thursday 14 May.

The best goals of the season will also be celebrated during the show. In addition, the top scorer awards for both competitions will be presented, while the Lifetime Achievement Award will be handed out for the sixth time. This award honours individuals who have made a significant contribution to Dutch professional football.

The winners of the Eredivisie Awards 2026 will be announced on Monday 25 May. The award show will be broadcast live on ESPN from 20:30.

Last year, Sem Steijn took home two awards. The midfielder, who was playing for FC Twente at the time, was named Player of the Year and also received the Willy van der Kuylen Trophy as the league’s top scorer. In the women’s competition, Renate Jansen was named Player of the Year, while Jaimy Ravensbergen finished as top scorer. The Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year awards went to Jorrel Hato and Veerle Buurman. Bryan Linssen won the Goal of the Year award for his strike from inside his own half.

During the Eredivisie Awards 2026, the following awards will be presented:

• Eredivisie Player of the Year
• Women’s Eredivisie Player of the Year
• Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year (men)
• Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year (women)
• Willy van der Kuijlen Trophy(Top Scorer)
• Women’s Eredivisie Top Scorer
• Eredivisie Goal of the Year
• Women’s Eredivisie Goal of the Year
• Lifetime Achievement Award