SFWA Footballer of the Year

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SFWA Footballer of the Year
Craig Gordon is the only player to have won the award three times
Awarded forThe outstanding player in each given Scottish football season
CountryScotland
Presented byScottish Football Writers' Association
First awarded1965
Last awarded2023
Footballer of the YearKyogo Furuhashi
Most awardsCraig Gordon (3)

The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the SFWA Footballer of the Year, or simply the Scottish Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish football.[1] The award has been presented since the 1964–65 season, and the winner is selected by a vote amongst the members of the Scottish Football Writers' Association (SFWA), which comprises over 100 football journalists based throughout Scotland.[2] The first winner was Celtic's Billy McNeill, and the first non-Scottish winner was Mark Hateley of Rangers in 1994. Seven players have won the award on more than one occasion, and one, Craig Gordon, three times, winning his third award in the 2021–22 season.[3]

The award was instigated in 1965, eight years after the association was founded, and committee member Allan Herron was charged with obtaining the permission of the Scottish Football Association to make the first award. Each member of the association casts one vote and also nominates a runner-up. In the event of a tie for first place the number of runner-up votes is taken into consideration.[2] Although it is the older of the two awards, the SFWA award is considered by the players themselves to be of secondary importance to the PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year because the winner of the PFA Scotland award is chosen by his fellow professionals.[4]

List of winners[edit]

The award has been presented on 59 occasions as of 2023, with 50 different individual players winning. Craig Gordon has won the award a record three times; six players (John Greig, Sandy Jardine, Brian Laudrup, Henrik Larsson, Barry Ferguson and Leigh Griffiths) have won the award twice; and on one occasion the award was presented collectively to the Scotland national squad.[5] The table also indicates where the winning player also won the PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year award (SPFA).[6] In 2012–13, Leigh Griffiths became the first player to win the SFWA award and the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award in the same season.[7]

Henrik Larsson won the award twice.
Brian McClair won the award in 1987.
Ally McCoist was the 1992 winner.
Shunsuke Nakamura was the 2007 winner.
Season Player Club Also won Notes
1964–65  SCO Billy McNeill Celtic [5]
1965–66  SCO John Greig Rangers [5]
1966–67  SCO Ronnie Simpson Celtic [5]
1967–68  SCO Gordon Wallace Raith Rovers [5]
1968–69  SCO Bobby Murdoch Celtic [5]
1969–70  SCO Pat Stanton Hibernian [5]
1970–71  SCO Martin Buchan Aberdeen [5]
1971–72  SCO Dave Smith Rangers [5]
1972–73  SCO George Connelly Celtic [5]
1973–74  SCO Scotland World Cup squad N/A [5]
1974–75  SCO Sandy Jardine Rangers [5]
1975–76  SCO John Greig Rangers [note 1][5]
1976–77  SCO Danny McGrain Celtic [5]
1977–78  SCO Derek Johnstone Rangers SPFA [note 2][5]
1978–79  SCO Andy Ritchie Morton [5]
1979–80  SCO Gordon Strachan Aberdeen [5]
1980–81  SCO Alan Rough Partick Thistle [5]
1981–82  SCO Paul Sturrock Dundee United [5]
1982–83  SCO Charlie Nicholas Celtic SPFA [5]
1983–84  SCO Willie Miller Aberdeen SPFA [8]
1984–85  SCO Hamish McAlpine Dundee United [5]
1985–86  SCO Sandy Jardine Heart of Midlothian [note 3][5]
1986–87  SCO Brian McClair Celtic SPFA [5]
1987–88  SCO Paul McStay Celtic SPFA [9]
1988–89  SCO Richard Gough Rangers [5]
1989–90  SCO Alex McLeish Aberdeen [5]
1990–91  SCO Maurice Malpas Dundee United [5]
1991–92  SCO Ally McCoist Rangers SPFA [5]
1992–93  SCO Andy Goram Rangers SPFA [5]
1993–94  ENG Mark Hateley Rangers SPFA [note 4][5]
1994–95  DEN Brian Laudrup Rangers SPFA [note 5][5]
1995–96  ENG Paul Gascoigne Rangers SPFA [5]
1996–97  DEN Brian Laudrup Rangers [5]
1997–98  SCO Craig Burley Celtic [5]
1998–99  SWE Henrik Larsson Celtic SPFA [5]
1999–00  SCO Barry Ferguson Rangers [5]
2000–01  SWE Henrik Larsson Celtic SPFA [5]
2001–02  SCO Paul Lambert Celtic [5]
2002–03  SCO Barry Ferguson Rangers SPFA [5]
2003–04  SCO Jackie McNamara Celtic [5]
2004–05  WAL John Hartson Celtic SPFA [note 6][5]
2005–06  SCO Craig Gordon Heart of Midlothian [5]
2006–07  JPN Shunsuke Nakamura Celtic SPFA [note 7][5]
2007–08  ESP Carlos Cuéllar Rangers [5]
2008–09  SCO Gary Caldwell Celtic [10][5]
2009–10  SCO David Weir Rangers [11][5]
2010–11  HON Emilio Izaguirre Celtic SPFA [12][5]
2011–12  SCO Charlie Mulgrew Celtic SPFA [13][5]
2012–13  SCO Leigh Griffiths Hibernian [7][5]
2013–14  SCO Kris Commons Celtic SPFA [14][5]
2014–15  SCO Craig Gordon Celtic [15][5]
2015–16  SCO Leigh Griffiths Celtic SPFA [16]
2016–17  ENG Scott Sinclair Celtic SPFA [17]
2017–18  SCO Scott Brown Celtic SPFA [5]
2018–19  SCO James Forrest Celtic SPFA [5]
2019–20  FRA Odsonne Edouard Celtic [18][19]
2020–21  NIR Steven Davis Rangers [20][21]
2021–22  SCO Craig Gordon Heart of Midlothian [3]
2022–23  JPN Kyogo Furuhashi Celtic SPFA [22]

Breakdown of winners[edit]

Winners by country[edit]

Country Number of wins Winning seasons
 Scotland
45
 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22
 England
3
 1993–94, 1995–96, 2016–17
 Japan
2
 2006–07, 2022–23
 Sweden
2
 1998–99, 2000–01
 Denmark
2
 1994–95, 1996–97
 Northern Ireland
1
 2020–21
 France
1
 2019–20
 Spain
1
 2007–08
 Wales
1
 2004–05
 Honduras
1
 2010–11

Winners by club[edit]

Club Number of wins Winning seasons
Celtic
26
 1964–65, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23
Rangers
17
 1965–66, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2020–21
Aberdeen
4
 1970–71, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1989–90
Dundee United
3
 1981–82, 1984–85, 1990–91
Heart of Midlothian
3
 1985–86, 2005–06, 2021–22
Hibernian
2
 1969–70, 2012–13
Partick Thistle
1
 1980–81
Morton
1
 1978–79
Scotland
1
 1973–74
Raith Rovers
1
 1967–68

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ First player to win the award twice.
  2. ^ First player to win SFWA and SPFA awards in the same season.
  3. ^ First player to win the award twice with two different clubs.
  4. ^ First non-Scottish winner.
  5. ^ First winner from outside the British Isles
  6. ^ Hartson shared the SPFA award with Fernando Ricksen.
  7. ^ First winner from outside Europe.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Neil Cameron (10 April 2008). "I Would Have Voted For Ranger Alan Hutton As Best Player, Reveals Shunsuke Nakamura". Daily Record. Scotland. Retrieved 29 February 2008. We all have opinions about who is the season's best player and a year ago it was Nakamura who came out on top in voting for both the PFA and Football Writers' award.
  2. ^ a b Jim Black. "Fifty years of passion and prose". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 11 April 2008.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b Collin, Iain (4 May 2022). "Craig Gordon: I wanted to show I could still do it". The Times. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  4. ^ Stuart Lovell (7 April 2008). "Why Aiden should run away with player prize". The Scotsman. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az Brown, Alan (19 August 2022). "Scotland – Player of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. ^ Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007–08. Invincible Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-00-725555-9.
  7. ^ a b Forsyth, Roddy (17 May 2013). "Hibs striker Leigh Griffiths nets another accolade". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  8. ^ Paul, Ian (11 May 1984). "McStay up for two awards". Glasgow Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  9. ^ "A word in your ear – from one law man to another". Glasgow Herald. 2 May 1988. p. 9. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Celtic ace Gary Caldwell scoops football writers award". Sunday Mail. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  11. ^ Halliday, Stephen (8 May 2010). "Walter Smith hails player of the year David Weir as 'best professional I have worked with' award". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  12. ^ "More awards for Izaguirre, Goodwillie and Paatelainen". BBC Sport. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  13. ^ "Charlie Mulgrew caps fine season by being named Scottish Football Writers' Association Player of the Year". The Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  14. ^ Smith, Andrew (11 May 2014). "Kris Commons voted writers' player of the year". Scotland on Sunday. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  15. ^ Halliday, Stephen (20 May 2015). "Craig Gordon named writers' Player of the Year". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  16. ^ Mullen, Scott (9 May 2016). "Leigh Griffiths named SFWA Player of the Year for second time – and looks for a third". Evening Times. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Celtic: Scott Sinclair named player of the year by football writers". BBC Sport. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Shankland, Edouard, McGregor & Morelos in writers' award frame". BBC Sport. BBC. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  19. ^ "King Eddy is our top man". SFWA. 13 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Rangers quartet nominated for player of the year award". STV Sport. STV. 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Davis crowned Player of the Year". SFWA. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Kyogo crowned SFWA Player of the Year". scottishfwa.com. SFWA. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

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