PFA Awards: The night when football professionals, sports VIP’s, football industry and media gather to pay tribute to the players that have been chosen as the PFA’s player of the year. The 43rd awards were held in Grosvenor Hotel in London on Sunday (24th April 2016)
Men’s PFA Player’s Player of the Year: Riyad Mahrez
34 league games, 17 goals and 11 assists; you are talking about the superman of Leicester City, Riyad Mahrez. Mahrez, held off competition from Tottenham forward Harry Kane, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, West Ham United midfielder Dimitri Payet and fellow Leicester men Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante to win the award. He becomes the first African player to win this award.
Men’s PFA Young Player of the Year: Dele Alli
This season Alli has scored 10 times in 32 top-flight games to help Spurs challenge Leicester for the title. In addition, Alli has made six senior appearances for England, scoring in a 2-0 friendly win over France last November.
The PFA Premier League Team of the Year
- GK – David De Gea (Manchester United)
- RB – Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)
- CB – Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur)
- CB – Wes Morgan (Leicester City)
- LB – Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Mid – Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)
- Mid – N’Golo Kanté (Leicester City)
- Mid – Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Mid – Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
- CF – Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
- CF – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
PFA Merit Award 2016: Ryan Giggs
Former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, the most decorated player in the English game, won the PFA Merit Award. Giggs, follows in the footsteps of former United greats Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Bobby Charlton in picking up the prize. Now assistant to manager Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford, Giggs made a club record 963 appearances for the Red Devils and won 13 league titles, four FA Cups and two Champions League crowns during a glittering career.
Other awards:-
- PFA honour Vardy’s record goal-scoring achievement
The Leicester City and England striker became the first player to score in 11 consecutive Premier League matches, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record.
- PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Izzy Christiansen
- PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year: Beth Mead
(image source: thepfa.com)
