PFA Players' Player of the Year
![](../I/m/Alg%C3%A9rie_-_Arm%C3%A9nie_-_20140531_-_Riyad_Mahrez.jpg)
The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA 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 Riyad Mahrez, who won the award on 24 April 2016 for his displays throughout the 2015–16 season, representing Leicester City.
The first winner of the award was Leeds United defender Norman Hunter. As of 2013, only Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have won the award on two occasions, and only Henry and Ronaldo have won the award in consecutive seasons. Of the five, only Shearer won his awards playing for two different teams. Although there is a separate PFA Young Player of the Year award for players under the age of 23, 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
Every spring, each member of the association votes for two players.[3] 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 a few days later.[4] 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",[5] 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".[6]
Winners
The award has been presented on 41 occasions as of 2014, with 36 different winners.[7][8][9][10] 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),[11] the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY),[12] the PFA Young Player of the Year award (YPY),[8][9][13] and the Football Supporters’ Federation Player of the Year award (FSF).[14]
![](../I/m/Andy_Gray_2004-10-23.jpg)
![](../I/m/Thierry_Henry_Charlton.jpg)
![](../I/m/Cristiano_Ronaldo%2C_2010.jpg)
Breakdown of winners
By country
Country | Number of wins | Winning years |
---|---|---|
![]() | | 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 |
![]() | | 1983–84, 1988–89, 1990–91, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13 |
![]() | | 1993–94, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04 |
![]() | | 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83 |
![]() | | 1978–79, 1992–93, 1999–2000 |
![]() | | 1997–98, 2001–02, 2011–12 |
![]() | | 2006–07, 2007–08 |
![]() | | 1975–76 |
![]() | | 2013–14 |
![]() | | 2014–15 |
![]() | | 2015–16 |
By club
Club | Number of wins | Winning years |
---|---|---|
Manchester United | | 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 |
Liverpool | | 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88, 2005–06, 2013-14 |
Tottenham Hotspur | | 1975–76, 1986–87, 1998–99, 2010–11, 2012–13 |
Arsenal | | 1978–79, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2011–12 |
Aston Villa | | 1976–77, 1989–90, 1992–93 |
Everton | | 1984–85, 1985–86 |
Newcastle United | | 1995–96, 1996–97 |
Chelsea | | 2004–05, 2014–15 |
Leeds United | | 1973–74 |
Derby County | | 1974–75 |
Nottingham Forest | | 1977–78 |
Ipswich Town | | 1980–81 |
Southampton | | 1981–82 |
Blackburn Rovers | | 1994–95 |
Leicester City | | 2015–16 |
References
- ↑ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". England Football Online. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ↑ "Ronaldo picks up the double". The Daily Mail. London. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ↑ "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ↑ "United trio lead nominations for PFA award". The Times. London. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ↑ "Sheringham wins second award". BBC. 29 April 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ↑ "Terry claims player of year award". BBC. 24 April 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
- ↑ "Only here for the peers". BBC. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- 1 2 "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- 1 2 "Ronaldo secures PFA awards double". BBC. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- 1 2 "Rooney is PFA player of the year". BBC. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ↑ "England – Players Awards". RSSSF. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Frank Keogh (20 April 2001). "Too much too young?". BBC. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ↑ "The FSF Awards in association with William Hill (Monday 16th Dec)". Football Supporters’ Federation. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ↑ First non–English winner, also first player to win both the PFA and FWA awards, having won the FWA award in 1973.
- ↑ First player to win two awards in a single season.
- ↑ First winner from outside the United Kingdom.
- ↑ First player to win both PFA and FWA awards in the same season.
- ↑ First player to win the award twice.
- ↑ First winner of the award from outside the British Isles.
- ↑ First player to win the award with two different clubs.
- ↑ First player to win three awards in a single season.
- ↑ First player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
- ↑ First player to win four awards in a single season.
- ↑ "Ronaldo named player of the year". BBC. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ↑ Stafford, Mikey (26 April 2009). "Ryan Giggs pays tribute to manager after adding another trophy to cabinet". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ↑ "Spurs' Gareth Bale wins PFA player of the year award". BBC. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
- ↑ "Arsenal striker Robin van Persie named PFA Player of the Year". BBC. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ↑ "Gareth Bale wins PFA Player of Year and Young Player awards". BBC Sport. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- ↑ First South American and non-European player to win the award.
- ↑ "Chelsea's Eden Hazard named PFA Player of the Year". Goal.com. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Riyad Mahrez: Leicester City forward named PFA Player of the Year". BBC. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
External links