PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year

PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year
Henrik Larsson won the award twice
Awarded for The outstanding player in each given Scottish football season
Country Scotland
Presented by PFA Scotland
First awarded 1978
Last awarded 2018
Player of the Year Scott Brown
Most awards Two players (2)

The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland Players' Player of the Year (often called the PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Scottish Player 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 1977–78 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland (PFA Scotland).[2] The award was formerly known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year, but was renamed after the SPFA merged with the (English) Professional Footballers' Association to become PFA Scotland.

The first winner of the award was Rangers striker Derek Johnstone, and the first non-Scottish winner was Aberdeen goalkeeper Theo Snelders eleven years later. As of 2018, only Henrik Larsson and Scott Brown have won the award on more than one occasion. Although there is a separate PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, young players remain eligible to win the senior award, and in the 2005–06 season Shaun Maloney became the first player to win both awards in the same season, a feat repeated by Aiden McGeady two years later.

A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of PFA Scotland's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in Glasgow a few days later.[3] The award is regarded by the players themselves as extremely prestigious, with John Hartson commenting in 2005 that "the award means a lot because it's voted by your fellow professionals"[4] and Shaun Maloney stating in 2006 that "there is no better accolade than to be voted for by your peers and it does mean a lot to me".[5] In 2007 the SPFA was replaced by a new body, PFA Scotland,[6] but the new organisation's awards are considered to be a direct continuation of the SPFA awards.[7][8]

Winners

The award has been presented on 41 occasions as of 2018, with two players sharing the award on one occasion (2004–05).[9] There have been 40 different winners, with Henrik Larsson and Scott Brown being the only players to have won the award more than once. The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award (SFWA),[10] and the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award (SYPY).[9]

Ally McCoist was the 1992 winner.
Scott Brown was the winner in 2009 and 2018.
Season Nat PlayerClubAlso wonNotes
1977–78ScotlandDerek JohnstoneRangersSFWA[note 1]
1978–79ScotlandPaul HegartyDundee United
1979–80ScotlandDavie ProvanCeltic
1980–81ScotlandMark McGheeAberdeen
1981–82ScotlandSandy ClarkAirdrieonians
1982–83ScotlandCharlie NicholasCelticSFWA
1983–84ScotlandWillie MillerAberdeenSFWA
1984–85ScotlandJim DuffyMorton[11]
1985–86ScotlandRichard GoughDundee United
1986–87ScotlandBrian McClairCelticSFWA
1987–88ScotlandPaul McStayCelticSFWA[12]
1988–89NetherlandsTheo SneldersAberdeen[note 2]
1989–90ScotlandJim BettAberdeen
1990–91EnglandPaul ElliottCeltic
1991–92ScotlandAlly McCoistRangersSFWA
1992–93ScotlandAndy GoramRangersSFWA
1993–94EnglandMark HateleyRangersSFWA
1994–95DenmarkBrian LaudrupRangersSFWA
1995–96EnglandPaul GascoigneRangersSFWA
1996–97ItalyPaolo Di CanioCeltic
1997–98ScotlandJackie McNamaraCeltic
1998–99SwedenHenrik LarssonCelticSFWA
1999–00AustraliaMark VidukaCeltic[note 3]
2000–01SwedenHenrik LarssonCelticSFWA[note 4]
2001–02ItalyLorenzo AmorusoRangers
2002–03ScotlandBarry FergusonRangersSFWA
2003–04EnglandChris SuttonCeltic
2004–05NetherlandsFernando Ricksen (joint winner)Rangers
WalesJohn Hartson (joint winner)CelticSFWA
2005–06ScotlandShaun MaloneyCelticSYPY[note 5]
2006–07JapanShunsuke NakamuraCelticSFWA
2007–08Republic of IrelandAiden McGeadyCelticSYPY[13]
2008–09ScotlandScott BrownCeltic[14]
2009–10Northern IrelandSteven DavisRangers[15]
2010–11HondurasEmilio IzaguirreCelticSFWA[16]
2011–12ScotlandCharlie MulgrewCelticSFWA[17]
2012–13EnglandMichael HigdonMotherwell[18]
2013–14ScotlandKris CommonsCelticSFWA[19]
2014–15NorwayStefan JohansenCeltic[20]
2015–16ScotlandLeigh GriffithsCelticSFWA[21]
2016–17EnglandScott SinclairCelticSFWA[22]
2017–18ScotlandScott BrownCelticSFWA[23][24]

Breakdown of winners

Winners by country

CountryNumber of winsWinning seasons
Scotland Scotland
22
1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18
England England
6
1990–91, 1993–94, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2012–13, 2016–17
Netherlands Netherlands
2
1988–89, 2004–05 (shared)
Italy Italy
2
1996–97, 2001–02
Sweden Sweden
2
1998–99, 2000–01
Norway Norway
1
2014–15
Honduras Honduras
1
2010–11
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
1
2009–10
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland
1
2007–08
Japan Japan
1
2006–07
Wales Wales
1
2004–05 (shared)
Australia Australia
1
1999–00
Denmark Denmark
1
1994–95

Winners by club

ClubNumber of winsWinning seasons
Celtic
23
1979–80, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05 (shared), 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
Rangers
10
1977–78, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05 (shared), 2009–10
Aberdeen
4
1980–81, 1983–84, 1988–89, 1989–90
Dundee United
2
1978–79, 1985–86
Motherwell
1
2012–13
Greenock Morton
1
1984–85
Airdrieonians
1
1981–82

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ First player to win SPFA and SFWA awards in the same season.
  2. ↑ First winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom.
  3. ↑ First winner of the award from outside Europe.
  4. ↑ First two-time winner of the award.
  5. ↑ First player to win both SPFA awards in the same season.

References

  1. ↑ Fisher, Stewart (2 May 2004). "Jackie named player of the year". Sunday Herald. Herald & Times Group. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2008.
  2. ↑ "Amoruso is players' choice". BBC. 29 April 2002. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  3. ↑ "SPFA Player of the Year nominations". The Scottish Premier League. Archived from the original on 19 September 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  4. ↑ "Hartson and Ricksen share award". BBC Sport. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  5. ↑ "Maloney in historic awards double". BBC Sport. 1 May 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  6. ↑ Greig, Martin (5 July 2007). "Fraser Wishart is promising a new kind of players union". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
  7. ↑ "McGeady picks up double prize at football awards". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 24 April 2008. Celtic winger Aiden McGeady has pulled off an awards double by winning the PFA Scotland Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards....McGeady follows in the footsteps of former Parkhead team-mate Shaun Maloney, who won both awards in a single season in 2006.
  8. ↑ "McGeady happy with Hoops". teamtalk.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2008. The only other player to have claimed the PFA Scotland double was Shaun Maloney, the Celtic midfielder who went on to carve out a career in the Premier League with Aston Villa.
  9. 1 2 Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008. Invincible Press. p. 63. ISBN 0-00-725555-1.
  10. ↑ Barnes, Stuart. News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008. p. 62.
  11. ↑ Paul, Ian (20 May 1985). "Morton's Jim Duffy is player's player". Glasgow Herald. p. 17. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  12. ↑ Traynor, James (16 May 1988). "A triumph for common sense". Glasgow Herald. p. 9. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  13. ↑ Bailey, Graeme (20 April 2008). "McGeady claims PFA double". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  14. ↑ Graham Spiers (4 May 2009). "Celtic's Scott Brown claims player of the year prize". The Times. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  15. ↑ "Davis crowned player of the year". BBC Sport. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  16. ↑ "Izaguirre lands top gong". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 1 May 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  17. ↑ "Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew named player of the year". BBC Sport. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "Motherwell: Michael Higdon named player of the year". BBC Sport. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Celtic's Kris Commons named Premiership player of year". BBC Sport. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "Celtic's Stefan Johansen named Scottish PFA player of the year". BBC Sport. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Leigh Griffiths: Celtic forward named PFA Scotland Player of the Year". BBC Sport. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  22. ↑ "Scott Sinclair named SPFA player of the year as Celtic win four awards". BBC Sport. 7 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  23. ↑ "Kris Boyd, John McGinn & Celtic's Scott Brown & James Forrest up for PFA award". BBC Sport. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  24. ↑ "Scott Brown: Celtic captain voted PFA Scotland player of the year 2017/18". BBC Sport. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.

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