Gareth Messenger & Joel Richards

The annual PFA Awards was due to be held, we count down the top 10 winners of English football’s most treasured personal accolade.

10. Norman Hunter – Leeds United (1973-74)

The late, great Norman Hunter left a legacy as one of Leeds’ greatest ever players. As the city, and community of Leeds mourn the recent passing of one of its greats, Hunter will forever be remembered as the winner of the inaugural PFA Player of the Year award.

Hunter was also a league champion, an FA Cup winner, a winner of European silverware, a member of England’s World Cup winning squad.

Fair to say, he won it all.

9. Pat Jennings – Tottenham Hotspur (1975-76)

Only two goalkeepers have ever claimed the award for PFA Player of the Year. Peter Shilton was one, but he certainly wasn’t the first.

The honour is bestowed upon Northern Ireland stopper Pat Jennings who scooped up the accolade in 1976. Three years prior, he was named Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year but three years later he went on better. That made him the first player to win both awards, and he became the first non-Englishman to win the PFA trophy.

8. Terry McDermott – Liverpool (1979-80)

A total of seven Liverpool players have been crowned PFA Player of the Year at the annual awards ceremony. 

The first to ever receive the award was long-serving Reds midfielder Terry McDermott who also happened to helped Liverpool to the First Division title that same season. 

McDermott won five league titles and three European cups in his time at Liverpool, and by winning this award, he became the first player ever to get the PFA and FWA honours in the same year.

7. Thierry Henry – Arsenal (2003-04)

When Arsenal sealed the title, and subsequently an unbeaten season, it was inevitable that the PFA award would be given to one the Gunners’ now-infamous “Invincibles”.

It was hardly a surprise when the honour was bestowed upon the immense talent of Thierry Henry. In fact, Henry had also won it the year before while also being crowned FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Fans’ Player of the Year – the first person to ever win three in a single season. 

In the Invincible year, he did it again, becoming the first player to ever win back-to-back PFA POTY awards.

6. Mark Hughes – Manchester United (1990-91)

Mark Hughes may have only scored 10 top-flight goals in the 1990-91 season but his 21 across all competitions meant he was a prime candidate for the PFA award again. 

Most notably, his two goals helped United beat Barcelona to seal the European Cup Winners’ Cup – the club’s first-ever European trophy in 23 years.

The honour of winning PFA POTY in 1991 was particularly significant, as it meant Hughes became the first player to ever win the award twice, having previously been named POTY in 1988-89.

5. Andy Gray – Aston Villa (1976-77)

Our very own beIN SPORTS analyst was a history maker when claiming the award in 1977. 

Not only did Gray claim the main award, he became the first player to win the young player of the year accolade in the same season. The feat is such a rarity that it took another 30 years before it was achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007, and Gareth Bale in 2013.

Gray’s dual honours came after a magnificent season that produced 29 goals in all competitions as he helped Villa claim the League Cup and qualify for the UEFA Cup. 

4. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool (2017-18)

As debut campaigns go in the Premier League, Salah’s takes some beating.

An incredible 44 goals scored across all competitions, with 32 of those accounting for the most goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season, the Egyptian King proved any doubters wrong after his ill-fated spell at Chelsea.

Such was Salah’s form in 2017-18 that the PFA award was part of clean sweep of personal accolades: The Football Writers’ Association honour was added alongside the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year just for good measure. 

Despite the dazzling displays of Kevin De Bruyne, the ‘Egyptian King’ was unstoppable in a season that nearly everything he touched turned into goals.

3. Eric Cantona – Manchester United (1993-94)

A Manchester United icon, Cantona was instrumental in maintaining the club’s rise in the early Premier League years.

In his first full season at the Theatre of Dreams, King Eric made the stage his own. 

The epicentre of United’s attacking outplays, Cantona stood for everything that epitomised Alex Ferguson’s first great team and set high standards for future sides to match.

Honoured in 1994 by his fellow peers, Cantona helped create history at Old Trafford as the Red Devils won their first-ever league and FA Cup Double.

2. Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur (2012-13)

Having already claimed the PFA’s top honour in 2011, Bale went one better and collected both accolades in 2013 after a magnificent season for Tottenham Hotspur.

In what proved to be the Welshman’s final year in North London, Bale saved the best for last as his 26 goals in all competitions included a host of stunning strikes and a collection of match-winning performances. 

Unfortunately for Spurs, Bale’s heroics wasn’t enough to secure a top-four finish, but it was enough for Real Madrid to complete a world-record transfer for the winger’s services in August 2013.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United (2007-08)

12 months after Ronaldo equalled Andy Gray’s historic feat, the Portuguese superstar equalled another record as he became only the second player to win the senior award in consecutive years.

Few could have argued against the vote as Ronaldo further enhanced his world-class credentials with a clinical 42 goals from 49 appearances in all competitions. In a season that saw Manchester United win a Premier League and Champions League double, Ronaldo led a fearsome attack that was complimented by Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

United’s No.7 was unplayable, and he would only go on to reach greater heights in the years to come.