FWA Footballer of the Year

This article is about the men's award. For the women's award, see FWA Women's Footballer of the Year.

FWA Footballer of the Year
Phil Foden won the award in 2024.
SportAssociation football
CompetitionAll levels of English football
CountryEngland and Wales
Presented byFWA
History
First award1947–48
Editions76
First winnerEngland Stanley Matthews
Most winsFrance Thierry Henry
(3 awards)
Most recentEngland Phil Foden
Websitefootballwriters.co.uk/awards

The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the FWA Footballer of the Year, or in England simply the Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football.[1] The award has been presented since the 1947–48 season, with the inaugural winner being Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews. The latest winner of the award as of 2023–24 is Phil Foden of Manchester City. Nine players have won the award on more than one occasion, with Thierry Henry having won the award on the most occasions, with three wins in four seasons.

The winner is selected by a vote amongst the members of the Football Writers' Association (FWA), which comprises around 400 football journalists based throughout England.[2] The award was instigated at the suggestion of Charles Buchan, a former professional footballer turned journalist and one of the Association's founders.[3]

Winners

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The award has been presented on 77 occasions as of 2024, to 68 players. On one occasion two players shared the award for a season.[4] 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 Professional Footballers' Association's Players' Player of the Year award (PPY),[5][6][7] Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY),[8] the Young Player of the Year award (YPY),[6][7][9] the Premier League Player of the Season award (PPS),[10] the Premier League Young Player of the Season award (PYPS),[10] and the Football Supporters' Association Player of the Year (FSA).[11][12]

Neville Southall's 1985 win was the last time a goalkeeper received the award.
Dennis Bergkamp won the award in the 1997–98 season.
Thierry Henry was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
Cristiano Ronaldo also won the award consecutively, in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.
Steven Gerrard won the award in 2009, becoming the first Liverpool player to do so for nineteen years.
Winners of the FWA Footballer of the Year
Year Player Club Also won Notes
1947–48 England Stanley Matthews Blackpool
1948–49 Republic of Ireland Johnny Carey Manchester United [13]
1949–50 England Joe Mercer Arsenal
1950–51 England Harry Johnston Blackpool
1951–52 England Billy Wright Wolverhampton Wanderers
1952–53 England Nat Lofthouse Bolton Wanderers
1953–54 England Tom Finney Preston North End
1954–55 England Don Revie Manchester City
1955–56 West Germany Bert Trautmann Manchester City
1956–57 England Tom Finney (2) Preston North End [14]
1957–58 Northern Ireland Danny Blanchflower Tottenham Hotspur
1958–59 England Syd Owen Luton Town
1959–60 England Bill Slater Wolverhampton Wanderers
1960–61 Northern Ireland Danny Blanchflower (2) Tottenham Hotspur
1961–62 England Jimmy Adamson Burnley
1962–63 England Stanley Matthews (2) Stoke City [15]
1963–64 England Bobby Moore West Ham United
1964–65 Scotland Bobby Collins Leeds United
1965–66 England Bobby Charlton Manchester United
1966–67 England Jack Charlton Leeds United
1967–68 Northern Ireland George Best Manchester United
1968–69 England
Scotland		 Tony Book
Dave Mackay		 Manchester City
Derby County
1969–70 Scotland Billy Bremner Leeds United
1970–71 Scotland Frank McLintock Arsenal
1971–72 England Gordon Banks Stoke City
1972–73 Northern Ireland Pat Jennings Tottenham Hotspur [16]
1973–74 England Ian Callaghan Liverpool
1974–75 England Alan Mullery Fulham
1975–76 England Kevin Keegan Liverpool
1976–77 England Emlyn Hughes Liverpool
1977–78 Scotland Kenny Burns Nottingham Forest
1978–79 Scotland Kenny Dalglish Liverpool
1979–80 England Terry McDermott Liverpool PPY [17]
1980–81 Netherlands Frans Thijssen Ipswich Town
1981–82 England Steve Perryman Tottenham Hotspur
1982–83 Scotland Kenny Dalglish (2) Liverpool PPY
1983–84 Wales Ian Rush Liverpool PPY
1984–85 Wales Neville Southall Everton
1985–86 England Gary Lineker Everton PPY
1986–87 England Clive Allen Tottenham Hotspur PPY
1987–88 England John Barnes Liverpool PPY
1988–89 Scotland Steve Nicol Liverpool
1989–90 England John Barnes (2) Liverpool
1990–91 Scotland Gordon Strachan Leeds United
1991–92 England Gary Lineker (2) Tottenham Hotspur
1992–93 England Chris Waddle Sheffield Wednesday
1993–94 England Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers
1994–95 Germany Jürgen Klinsmann Tottenham Hotspur
1995–96 France Eric Cantona Manchester United
1996–97 Italy Gianfranco Zola Chelsea
1997–98 Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal PPY
1998–99 France David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur PPY
1999–2000 Republic of Ireland Roy Keane Manchester United PPY
2000–01 England Teddy Sheringham Manchester United PPY
2001–02 France Robert Pires Arsenal
2002–03 France Thierry Henry Arsenal PPY, FPY
2003–04 France Thierry Henry (2) Arsenal PPY, FPY, PPS [18]
2004–05 England Frank Lampard Chelsea FPY, PPS [19]
2005–06 France Thierry Henry (3) Arsenal PPS [20]
2006–07 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United PPY, FPY, YPY, PPS [21]
2007–08 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo (2) Manchester United PPY, FPY, PPS
2008–09 England Steven Gerrard Liverpool FPY [22]
2009–10 England Wayne Rooney Manchester United PPY, FPY, PPS [23]
2010–11 England Scott Parker West Ham United [24]
2011–12 Netherlands Robin van Persie Arsenal PPY, FPY [25]
2012–13 Wales Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur PPY, YPY, PPS [26]
2013–14 Uruguay Luis Suárez Liverpool PPY, FPY, PPS, FSA [11]
2014–15 Belgium Eden Hazard Chelsea PPY, PPS [27]
2015–16 England Jamie Vardy Leicester City PPS [28]
2016–17 France N'Golo Kanté Chelsea PPY, PPS [29]
2017–18 Egypt Mohamed Salah Liverpool PPY, FPY, PPS, FSA [30]
2018–19 England Raheem Sterling Manchester City YPY [31]
2019–20 England Jordan Henderson Liverpool [32]
2020–21 Portugal Rúben Dias Manchester City PPS [33]
2021–22 Egypt Mohamed Salah (2) Liverpool PPY, FPY [34]
2022–23 Norway Erling Haaland Manchester City PPY, PPS, PYPS [35]
2023–24 England Phil Foden Manchester City PPY, PPS [36]

Breakdown of winners

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By country

[edit]
The trophy awarded to the Footballer of the Year from 2015 onwards
Winners of the FWA Footballer of the Year by country
Country Number of wins Winning years
England England
39
 1947–48, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69‡, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2023-24
Scotland Scotland
9
 1964–65, 1968–69‡, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1990–91
France France
7
 1995–96, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2016–17
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
4
 1957–58, 1960–61, 1967–68, 1972–73
Netherlands Netherlands
3
 1980–81, 1997–98, 2011–12
Wales Wales
3
 1983–84, 1984–85, 2012–13
Portugal Portugal
3
 2006–07, 2007–08, 2020–21
Egypt Egypt
2
 2017–18, 2021–22
 West Germany / Germany Germany
2
 1955–56, 1994–95
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland
2
 1948–49, 1999–2000
Italy Italy
1
 1996–97
Uruguay Uruguay
1
 2013–14
Belgium Belgium
1
 2014–15
Norway Norway
1
 2022–23

‡ — two winners

Winners by club

[edit]
Winners of the FWA Footballer of the Year by club
Club Number of wins Winning years
Liverpool
15
 1973–74, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2021–22
Tottenham Hotspur
9
 1957–58, 1960–61, 1972–73, 1981–82, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2012–13
Manchester United
9
 1948–49, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2009–10
Arsenal
8
 1949–50, 1970–71, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2011–12
Manchester City
7
 1954–55, 1955–56, 1968–69‡, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023-24
Leeds United
4
 1964–65, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1990–91
Chelsea
4
 1996–97, 2004–05, 2014–15, 2016–17
Everton
2
 1984–85, 1985–86
Stoke City
2
 1962–63, 1971–72
Wolverhampton Wanderers
2
 1951–52, 1959–60
Preston North End
2
 1953–54, 1956–57
Blackpool
2
 1947–48, 1950–51
West Ham United
2
 1963–64, 2010–11
Leicester City
1
 2015–16
Blackburn Rovers
1
 1993–94
Sheffield Wednesday
1
 1992–93
Ipswich Town
1
 1980–81
Nottingham Forest
1
 1977–78
Fulham
1
 1974–75
Derby County
1
 1968–69‡
Burnley
1
 1961–62
Luton Town
1
 1958–59
Bolton Wanderers
1
 1952–53

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "England Player Honours – Football Writers' Association Footballers of the Year". England Football Online. 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  2. ^ "About the FWA". Football Writers' Association. Archived from the original on 8 April 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  3. ^ "FWA Footballer of the Year Award". Football Writers' Association. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  4. ^ "England – Players Awards". RSSSF. 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  5. ^ "Only here for the peers". BBC Sport. 20 April 2001. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC Sport. 23 April 2006. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Ronaldo secures PFA awards double". BBC Sport. 22 April 2007. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ Frank Keogh (20 April 2001). "Too much too young?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 9 July 2003. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  10. ^ a b "Premier League Awards, All Time Awards". Premier League.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Luis Suárez wins Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award". The Guardian. 5 May 2014. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  12. ^ "Winners: FSF Awards in association with William Hill". Football Supporters' Association. 17 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  13. ^ First winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom.
  14. ^ First player to win the award twice.
  15. ^ First player to win the award with two clubs.
  16. ^ Also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1976 to become the first player to win both awards.
  17. ^ First player to win both PFA and FWA awards in the same season.
  18. ^ First player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
  19. ^ "Lampard scoops award from writers". BBC Sport. 6 May 2005. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  20. ^ First player to win the award three times.
  21. ^ First player to win five awards in the same season.
  22. ^ "Steven Gerrard wins Footballer of the Year award". The Times. London. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  23. ^ "Wayne Rooney nets writers' player of the year award". BBC Sport. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  24. ^ "West Ham's Scott Parker wins Football Writers' award". BBC Sport. 22 April 2011. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  25. ^ "Arsenal's Robin van Persie named FWA Footballer of the Year". BBC Sport. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  26. ^ "Bale named FWA Footballer of the Year". Football Writers' Association. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  27. ^ "Eden Hazard wins Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award". Sky Sports. 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  28. ^ "Jamie Vardy named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year 2015/16". Sky Sports. 2 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  29. ^ "N'Golo Kante wins Football Writers' Association award". BBC Sport. 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  30. ^ "Mohamed Salah named writers' Footballer of the Year". BBC Sport. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  31. ^ "Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA Player of the Year awards". BBC Sport. 29 April 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  32. ^ "Jordan Henderson wins football writers' award". Daily Mirror. 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  33. ^ "Ruben Dias: Manchester City Defender named FWA Footballer of the Year". Sky Sports. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  34. ^ "Mohamed Salah named Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year for 2021/22". Sky Sports. 29 April 2022. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  35. ^ "Erling Haaland named Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year for 2022/23 | Chelsea's Sam Kerr wins Women's award". Sky Sports. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  36. ^ "Phil Foden named Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year for 2023/24 |". Sky Sports. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
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