PFA Players' Player of the Year

Last updated

PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year
Phil Foden 2022.jpeg
2024 winner Phil Foden
Sport Association football
CompetitionAll levels of English football
Country England and Wales
Presented by PFA
History
First award1973–74
Editions51
First winner Flag of England.svg Norman Hunter
Most recent Flag of England.svg Phil Foden (2024)
Website Official website

The Professional Footballers' Association Men's Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the 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. [1] 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). [2] The current holder is Phil Foden of Manchester City, who won the award for the first time on 20 August 2024. [3]

Contents

The first winner of the award was Leeds United defender Norman Hunter. As of 2024, only Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah have won the award on two occasions, and only Henry, Ronaldo and De Bruyne have won the award in consecutive seasons. Of the seven, only Shearer won his two awards playing for different teams. Although there is a separate PFA Young Player of the Year award, young players remain eligible to win the senior award, and on three occasions the same player has won both awards for a season, Andy Gray in 1976–77, Ronaldo in 2006–07 and Bale in 2012–13. Only three non-European players have won the award: Luis Suárez (Uruguay) in 2013–14, Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) in 2015–16, and Mohamed Salah (Egypt) in 2017–18 and 2021–22.

Every spring, each member of the association votes for two players. [4] A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of the PFA's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in London. [5] The award is regarded by the players themselves as extremely prestigious, with Teddy Sheringham describing it in 2001 as "the biggest personal award you can get in the game", [6] and John Terry stating in 2005 that he considered it "the ultimate accolade to be voted for by your fellow professionals whom you play against week-in and week-out". [7]

Winners

The award has been presented on 51 occasions as of 2024, with 44 different winners. [8] [9] [10] [11] The women's award has been presented since 2013, with nine different winners. [12] The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in English football, namely the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award (FWA), [13] the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY), [14] the PFA Young Player of the Year award (YPY), [9] [10] [15] the Premier League Player of the Season award (PPS), [16] the Premier League Young Player of the Season award (PYS) and the Football Supporters’ Federation Player of the Year award (FSF). [17]

Andy Gray was the first player to win the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards in the same season. Andy Gray 2004-10-23.jpg
Andy Gray was the first player to win the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards in the same season.
Mark Hughes was the first player to win the Player of the Year award twice. 1 mark hughes 2015.jpg
Mark Hughes was the first player to win the Player of the Year award twice.
Thierry Henry was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons. Thierry Henry Arsenal U19s Vs Olympiacos (cropped).jpg
Thierry Henry was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player to win all five major awards in the same year. Cristiano Ronaldo 2018.jpg
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player to win all five major awards in the same year.
Winners of the PFA Players' of the Year
YearPlayerClubAlso wonNotes
1973–74 Flag of England.svg Norman Hunter Leeds United
1974–75 Flag of England.svg Colin Todd Derby County
1975–76 Ulster Banner.svg Pat Jennings Tottenham Hotspur [18]
1976–77 Flag of Scotland.svg Andy Gray Aston Villa YPY [19]
1977–78 Flag of England.svg Peter Shilton Nottingham Forest
1978–79 Flag of Ireland.svg Liam Brady Arsenal [20]
1979–80 Flag of England.svg Terry McDermott Liverpool FWA [21]
1980–81 Flag of Scotland.svg John Wark Ipswich Town
1981–82 Flag of England.svg Kevin Keegan Southampton
1982–83 Flag of Scotland.svg Kenny Dalglish Liverpool FWA
1983–84 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Ian Rush Liverpool FWA
1984–85 Flag of England.svg Peter Reid Everton
1985–86 Flag of England.svg Gary Lineker Everton FWA
1986–87 Flag of England.svg Clive Allen Tottenham Hotspur FWA
1987–88 Flag of England.svg John Barnes Liverpool FWA
1988–89 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Mark Hughes Manchester United
1989–90 Flag of England.svg David Platt Aston Villa
1990–91 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Mark Hughes (2) Manchester United [22]
1991–92 Flag of England.svg Gary Pallister Manchester United
1992–93 Flag of Ireland.svg Paul McGrath Aston Villa
1993–94 Flag of France.svg Eric Cantona Manchester United [23]
1994–95 Flag of England.svg Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers PPS
1995–96 Flag of England.svg Les Ferdinand Newcastle United
1996–97 Flag of England.svg Alan Shearer (2) Newcastle United [24]
1997–98 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal FWA
1998–99 Flag of France.svg David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur FWA
1999–2000 Flag of Ireland.svg Roy Keane Manchester United FWA
2000–01 Flag of England.svg Teddy Sheringham Manchester United FWA
2001–02 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Ruud van Nistelrooy Manchester United FPY
2002–03 Flag of France.svg Thierry Henry Arsenal FWA, FPY [25]
2003–04 Flag of France.svg Thierry Henry (2) Arsenal FWA, FPY, PPS [26]
2004–05 Flag of England.svg John Terry Chelsea
2005–06 Flag of England.svg Steven Gerrard Liverpool
2006–07 Flag of Portugal.svg Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United FWA, FPY, YPY, PPS [27]
2007–08 Flag of Portugal.svg Cristiano Ronaldo (2) Manchester United FWA, FPY, PPS [28]
2008–09 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Ryan Giggs Manchester United [29]
2009–10 Flag of England.svg Wayne Rooney Manchester United FWA, FPY, PPS [11]
2010–11 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur [30]
2011–12 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robin van Persie Arsenal FWA, FPY [31]
2012–13 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gareth Bale (2) Tottenham Hotspur FWA, YPY, PPS [32]
2013–14 Flag of Uruguay.svg Luis Suárez Liverpool FWA, FPY, PPS, FSF [33]
2014–15 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eden Hazard Chelsea FWA, PPS [34]
2015–16 Flag of Algeria.svg Riyad Mahrez Leicester City FPY [35]
2016–17 Flag of France.svg N'Golo Kanté Chelsea FWA, PPS [36]
2017–18 Flag of Egypt.svg Mohamed Salah Liverpool FWA, FPY, PPS, FSF [37]
2018–19 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Virgil van Dijk Liverpool PPS, FSF [38]
2019–20 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City PPS [39]
2020–21 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Kevin De Bruyne (2) Manchester City [40]
2021–22 Flag of Egypt.svg Mohamed Salah (2) Liverpool FWA, FPY [41]
2022–23 Flag of Norway.svg Erling Haaland Manchester City FWA, FPY, PPS, PYS [42]
2023–24 Flag of England.svg Phil Foden Manchester City FWA, PPS [3]

Breakdown of winners

By country

Winners of the PFA Players' Player of the Year by country
CountryNumber of winsWinning years
Flag of England.svg  England
19
 1973–74, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2023–24
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
6
 1983–84, 1988–89, 1990–91, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13
Flag of France.svg  France
5
 1993–94, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2016–17
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
4
 1997–98, 2001–02, 2011–12, 2018–19
Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
3
 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83
Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland
3
 1978–79, 1992–93, 1999–2000
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
3
 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
2
 2006–07, 2007–08
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
2
 2017–18, 2021–22
Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
1
 1975–76
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay
1
 2013–14
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
1
 2015–16
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
1
 2022–23

By club

Winners of the PFA Players' Player of the Year by club
ClubNumber of winsWinning years
Manchester United
11
 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10
Liverpool
9
 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88, 2005–06, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22
Tottenham Hotspur
5
 1975–76, 1986–87, 1998–99, 2010–11, 2012–13
Arsenal
5
 1978–79, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2011–12
Manchester City
4
 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
Chelsea
3
 2004–05, 2014–15, 2016–17
Aston Villa
3
 1976–77, 1989–90, 1992–93
Everton
2
 1984–85, 1985–86
Newcastle United
2
 1995–96, 1996–97
Leeds United
1
 1973–74
Derby County
1
 1974–75
Nottingham Forest
1
 1977–78
Ipswich Town
1
 1980–81
Southampton
1
 1981–82
Blackburn Rovers
1
 1994–95
Leicester City
1
 2015–16

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". England Football Online. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  2. ↑ McGrath, Mike (29 June 2020). "PFA remain confident annual Player of the Year awards will go ahead". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Phil Foden Named PFA Players' Player of the Year". Professional Footballers' Association. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC Sport. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  5. ↑ "United trio lead nominations for PFA award". The Times. London. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  6. ↑ "Sheringham wins second award". BBC Sport. 29 April 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  7. ↑ "Terry claims player of year award". BBC Sport. 24 April 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  8. ↑ "Only here for the peers". BBC. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  10. 1 2 "Ronaldo secures PFA awards double". BBC. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  11. 1 2 "Rooney is PFA player of the year". BBC Sport. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  12. ↑ "PFA Players' Player of the Year winners". SportsAdda. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "England – Players Awards". RSSSF . 4 October 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  14. ↑ "PFA's Official Fan's Player of the Year: Previous Winners". The Professional Footballers' Association. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  15. ↑ Frank Keogh (20 April 2001). "Too much too young?". BBC. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  16. ↑ "Player of the Season". Premier League . Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  17. ↑ "The FSF Awards in association with William Hill (Monday 16th Dec)". Football Supporters’ Federation. 14 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  18. ↑ First non–English winner, also first player to win both the PFA and FWA awards, having won the FWA award in 1973.
  19. ↑ First player to win two awards in a single season.
  20. ↑ First winner from outside the United Kingdom.
  21. ↑ First player to win both PFA and FWA awards in the same season.
  22. ↑ First player to win the award twice.
  23. ↑ First winner of the award from outside the British Isles.
  24. ↑ First player to win the award with two clubs.
  25. ↑ First player to win three awards in a single season.
  26. ↑ First player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
  27. ↑ First player to win four awards in a single season.
  28. ↑ "Ronaldo named player of the year". BBC Sport. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  29. ↑ Stafford, Mikey (26 April 2009). "Ryan Giggs pays tribute to manager after adding another trophy to cabinet". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  30. ↑ "Spurs' Gareth Bale wins PFA player of the year award". BBC Sport. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  31. ↑ "Arsenal striker Robin van Persie named PFA Player of the Year". BBC Sport. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  32. ↑ "Gareth Bale wins PFA Player of Year and Young Player awards". BBC Sport. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  33. ↑ First South American and non-European player to win the award.
  34. ↑ "Chelsea's Eden Hazard named PFA Player of the Year". Goal.com. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  35. ↑ "Riyad Mahrez: Leicester City forward named PFA Player of the Year". BBC Sport. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  36. ↑ "Chelsea Midfielder N'Golo Kanté named PFA player of the year". Evening Standard. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  37. ↑ "Mohamed Salah: Liverpool forward voted PFA Player of the Year 2017-18". BBC Sport. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  38. ↑ "Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA Player of the Year awards". BBC Sport. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  39. ↑ "PFA Player of the Year: Kevin de Bruyne and Beth England named 2020 winners". BBC Sport. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  40. ↑ "PFA Player of the Year: Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne wins second award". BBC Sport. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  41. ↑ "Mohamed Salah and Sam Kerr win PFA player of year awards". BBC Sport. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  42. ↑ "Man City's Haaland wins PFA Player of the Year". BBC Sport. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.

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