Sport | Association football |
---|---|
Competition | All levels of English football |
Country | England and Wales |
Presented by | FWA |
History | |
First award | 1947–48 |
Editions | 76 |
First winner | Stanley Matthews |
Most wins | Thierry Henry (3 awards) |
Most recent | Phil Foden |
Website | footballwriters |
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]