The PFA Fans' Favourites is a list of football players produced as part of the celebrations of the centenary of the Professional Footballers' Association in 2007. There is one entry for each Football League club's favourite player. In making the selection, the PFA canvassed the opinions of the supporters of present, and some former, league clubs about their Number One player. [1]
In 2007 the Professional Footballers' Association celebrated the centenary of the foundation of The Players Union by launching their "One Goal One Million" campaign. The campaign involved a whole year of celebratory fund-raising activities with the aim of raising £1 million to fully fund a new Children's Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Unit at the University Children's Hospital, Manchester. Throughout the year the PFA ran a number of high-profile events involving current and former players and managers with the sole purpose of reaching the £1 million target. Events included a pro-celebrity golf event, race days and initiatives involving our younger supporters. On the anniversary of the day that the PFA was formed in 1907 – December 2 – there was a match between an England Legends XI, captained by Alan Shearer and managed by Terry Venables, against a World Legends XI captained by Gianfranco Zola and managed by Jürgen Klinsmann, culminating in a Gala Dinner in the evening involving a host of top entertainers. [2]
Alan Shearer CBE DL is an English football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premier League history, he is the Premier League's record goalscorer with 260 goals. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. In 1996, he came third in both Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Shearer was one of the first two players inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.
Tony Alexander Adams is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. He spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back at Arsenal, making 672 total appearances. He is considered as one of Arsenal's greatest ever players, and is also included in the Football League 100 Legends.
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional football coach, pundit, former player and a sports broadcaster who currently works with CBS Sports. He is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time, and one of the greatest players in Premier League history. He has been named Arsenal's greatest ever player. Henry was runner-up for both the Ballon d'Or in 2003 and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year a record three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year a joint-record two times, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. He was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2004, Henry was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
Marcel Desailly is a French former professional footballer, widely considered to be among the greatest centre-backs and defensive midfielders to ever play football. During a successful career at club level, lasting from 1986 to 2006, Desailly won several titles, including UEFA Champions League medals with both Marseille and AC Milan, and also played for Nantes and Chelsea, among other teams. At international level, he collected 116 caps between 1993 and 2004, scoring three goals, and was a member of the France international squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Michael John Giles is an Irish former association football player and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from management in 1985, Giles served as the senior analyst on RTÉ Sport's coverage of association football from 1986 until 2016. The FAI voted Giles as the greatest Irish player of the last 50 years at the UEFA Jubilee Awards in 2004.
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the inaugural season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The season began on 15 August 1992 and ended on 11 May 1993. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with Sky to televise Premier League matches. In concept, the Premier League was identical to the old First Division of the Football League, which was now reduced to three divisions.
The Professional Footballers' Association Men's Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football. The award has been presented since the 1973–74 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). The current holder is Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, who won the award for a second time on 9 June 2022.
Robert Sime "Roy" Aitken is a Scottish former football player and manager. He made over 480 league appearances for Celtic, and later played for Newcastle United, St Mirren and Aberdeen. Aitken also made 57 international appearances for Scotland. His playing position was either in midfield or defence.
David Batty is an English former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Paul John Butler (néRoberts; is a former professional footballer where he played as a centre-back. Born in England, he played for Republic of Ireland. He was most recently a player at League Two side Chester City, where he also had spells as captain and assistant-manager.
Geoffrey Robert Thomas is an English former footballer, who won nine caps for the full England team and captained Crystal Palace to the FA Cup final in 1990. He is the Founder of the Geoff Thomas Foundation, a charity that raises funds to fight cancer, a disease from which Thomas has suffered.
Akenhaton Carlos Edwards CM is a Trinidadian former professional footballer who plays as a winger or right-back for Hadleigh United.
The 1998 FA Cup final was a football match between Arsenal and Newcastle United on 16 May 1998 at the old Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 1997–98 FA Cup, the 117th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the FA Cup. Six-time winners Arsenal were appearing in their thirteenth final, whereas Newcastle United, having also won the competition six times, appeared in their eleventh final. It was the third time both teams faced each other in a FA Cup final; Newcastle won the previous two encounters in 1932 and 1952.
The 1991–92 season was Manchester United's 90th season in the Football League, and their 17th consecutive season in the top division of English football.
Andrew Martin Graver was an English footballer who scored 158 goals from 323 games playing in the Football League for Newcastle United, Lincoln City, Leicester City and Stoke City.
Terence William Evans is an English former professional footballer who played as a central defender and made over 530 career appearances. He spent the majority of his career in the Football League with Brentford and Wycombe Wanderers and captained both clubs. He is a member of the Brentford Hall of Fame. After his retirement from football, Evans served as caretaker manager, assistant manager and physiotherapist at Wycombe Wanderers. After leaving football, he worked in physiotherapist roles at a number of rugby union clubs.
The 1913 FA Charity Shield was the sixth staging of the FA Charity Shield, an annual association football match arranged to raise funds for charitable causes supported by the Football Association, the governing body of football in England. The match was contested by select teams of amateur and professional players. It was played on 6 October 1913 at The Den, London, and ended as a 7–2 win for the Professionals. England internationals Harry Hampton scored four goals, George Holley two and Harold Fleming one for the Professionals; George Barlow and Herbert Farnfield scored for the Amateurs. The proceeds were donated to the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster Fund.