While football has taken center-stage in the world’s sports, the game has found a way of applauding players of different categories every year through the Professional Football Association (PFA) Player of the Year. Since its inception in 1974, it has awarded over 40 players and has been termed one of the most dignified awards in the history of football. It has also remained one of the awards that have allowed footballers to be voted by their peers.
The trophy is given every season and winners are made through elections within the members of the players’ union, the PFA. It has been considered a dignified award not just in English football but the entire game of football. How much do you know about the award?
Shocking facts about the PFA Player of the Year Award
1. Who is involved in the voting?
In advance to the awards which is usually announced in London, each member of the PFA votes for two players who would later be nominated and a winner be emerged.
2. Division of the award
While the award is divided into the male and female categories, it has also divided into senior and young categories. Nevertheless, young players (under 23) are allowed to be voted into the senior and young categories
3. Defenders that have won the award
PFA’s first two players of the year were defenders. So far, a total number of 6 defenders have made it to the list of award recipients. The defenders that have won the award in its 46 years are Norman Hunter, Colin Todd, Gary Pallister, Paul McGrath, John Terry, and Virgil van Dijk.
The last time a defender won it before van Dijk in 2019 was in 2005 when John Terry won it.
4. Norman Hunter’s record
In 1974, one of Football League 100 legends, Norman Hunter became the first and only Leeds United player to have won the PFA player of the year. As a defender, he’s mostly remembered for the roles he played in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, Bristol City, and England among others.
5. Players that have won both the senior and junior category
So far in the history of the award, only Andy Gray, Christiano Ronaldo, and Bale have won in both the Senior and Young Players category in a season.
6. First player to win with a team out of the top four
France’s David Ginola became the first player to win the PFA Player of Year award while his team Tottenham Hotspur was not among the top four of the season in 1999.
7. How many players have won the PFA player of the year award twice in a row?
In 2003 and 2004, Arsenal’s then player Thierry Henry became the first player to be awarded the PFA Player of the Year consecutively. Years later in 2007 and 2008, Christiano Ronaldo made history by becoming the second and one of the only two to get the same award as the former.
8. The first player outside Europe to win
In 2014, Luiz Suarez became the first player outside of Europe to have won either the men’s Senior or Young Player of the year.
9. First African to win the award
Although many beneficiaries of the award are Europeans, Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez made his way in 2016 to become the first player from Africa to cling the award and in 2018 Mohamed Salah of Egypt became another African to be voted for the award.
10. Alan Shearer’s record
As of 2019, only Alan Shearer has won the PFA player award of the year while playing at different Clubs – New Castle (1997) and Blackburn (1995).
11. Clubs with most PFA Player Of The Year win
Manchester United has the most players to win the award with a total number of eleven followed by Liverpool FC as of 2019.
12. Players that have won the PFA Player Of The Year more than once
Only Mark Hughes (1989/1991), Alan Shearer (1995/1997), Thierry Henry (2003/2004), Christiano Ronaldo (2007/2008), and Gareth Bale (2011/2013) have made it to become the only players to win the award twice since its beginning.
Read other interesting articles
- Top 5 Footballers Who Have Made The Highest Donations To Fight Coronavirus
- Ligue 1 Clubs That May Go Bankrupt Due To Coronavirus
- How Much Pay Cut Did These Football Managers Take Due To Coronavirus?
13. The first woman to win the award
In accordance with the women’s category of the PFA awards, Ji So-Yun of South Korea became the first non-British winner of the year in 2015 while Liverpool’s defender Martha Harris became the first awardee of the women’s Young Player of the year.
14. Eric Cantona
In 1994, Eric Cantona became the first recipient of the senior men’s award from outside the UK and Ireland.
15. First goalkeeper to win the PFA Player Of The Year
Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers, Pat Jennings became the first goalkeeper to win the PFA player of the Award when he won it in 1976 while playing for Tottenham Hotspur. He remains the only player to take home the award apart from Nottingham Forest’s Peter Shilton who won it in 1978.
16. PFA Awards by country
By country, England has claimed the most wins in the PFA with about 18 wins so far. Wales is the second in line with 6 and then France with 5, Netherlands with 4, Scotland and Republic of Ireland with 4, Portugal with two and then Northern Ireland, Uruguay, Belgium, Algeria, and Egypt with one each.
17. Last Englishman to win the award
No Englishman has been able to win the award since former Manchester United Player Wayne Rooney in 2010. Before him, it was last won by John Terry and Steven Gerrard in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
18. Who has the most PFA Awards?
In his six years with Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo became the player with the most PFA Awards having won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year as well as the FWA, FPY, and YPY in 2007 and then the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA, and FPY in 2008 adding his awards to 7.
19. Controversial moment
There were a number of times that the award was controversially given. In 1999, David Ginola won the award ahead of Manchester United’s Dwight Yorke despite leading the Red Devils in goals and second in assists. In the season, Tottenham ended 11 on the table while Yorke had only three goals and three assists.
20. When is it presented?
The award is usually presented in the fourth month of every year since it started. 2020 has however taken a different turn as a result of the global pandemic COVID-19. For this reason, the award has been scheduled for a later date which has not been fixed as at the time of this article. Therefore, PFA player of the year of 2019, Virgil van Vijk has since continued to be the best of the season.
Discussion about this post