# PFA Young Player of the Year

The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football. As of 2021, players must have been aged 21 or under as of 1 July immediately preceding the start of the season; in the past the age limit has been 23, which led to criticism in the media over whether a player who was 24 years old at the end of the season could really be considered "young" in footballing terms. The award has been presented since the 1973–74 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). The first winner of the award was Ipswich Town defender Kevin Beattie. The current holder is Chelsea player Cole Palmer, who won the award on 20 August 2024.
Although the award is open to players at all levels, all winners to date have played in the highest division of the English football league system. In 2018 Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham became the first player from outside the top division of English football to be nominated for the award. As of 2024, only Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler, Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli and Phil Foden have won the award on more than one occasion. Only seven players from outside the United Kingdom have won the trophy, compared with fifteen winners of the main PFA Players' Player of the Year award. Although they have their own dedicated award, players aged 21 or under at the start of the season remain eligible to win the Players' Player of the Year award, and on three occasions the same player has won both awards for a season.
A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of the PFA's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in London. The players themselves consider the award to be highly prestigious, because the winner is chosen by his fellow professionals.

## Winners

The award has been presented on 51 occasions as of 2024, to 46 players. The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in English football, namely the PFA Players' Player of the Year award (PPY), the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award (FWA), the Premier League Player of the Season award (PPS), the Premier League Young Player of the Season award (PYPS), and the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY).
Winners of the PFA Young Player of the Year :
| Year | Player | Club | Also won |
| 1973–74 | Kevin Beattie | Ipswich Town | |
| 1974–75 | Mervyn Day | West Ham United | |
| 1975–76 | Peter Barnes | Manchester City | |
| 1976–77 | Andy Gray | Aston Villa | PPY |
| 1977–78 | Tony Woodcock | Nottingham Forest | |
| 1978–79 | Cyrille Regis | West Bromwich Albion | |
| 1979–80 | Glenn Hoddle | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 1980–81 | Gary Shaw | Aston Villa | |
| 1981–82 | Steve Moran | Southampton | |
| 1982–83 | Ian Rush | Liverpool | |
| 1983–84 | Paul Walsh | Luton Town | |
| 1984–85 | Mark Hughes | Manchester United | |
| 1985–86 | Tony Cottee | West Ham United | |
| 1986–87 | Tony Adams | Arsenal | |
| 1987–88 | Paul Gascoigne | Newcastle United | |
| 1988–89 | Paul Merson | Arsenal | |
| 1989–90 | Matthew Le Tissier | Southampton | |
| 1990–91 | Lee Sharpe | Manchester United | |
| 1991–92 | Ryan Giggs | Manchester United | |
| 1992–93 | Ryan Giggs (2) | Manchester United | |
| 1993–94 | Andy Cole | Newcastle United | |
| 1994–95 | Robbie Fowler | Liverpool | |
| 1995–96 | Robbie Fowler (2) | Liverpool | |
| 1996–97 | David Beckham | Manchester United | |
| 1997–98 | Michael Owen | Liverpool | PPS |
| 1998–99 | Nicolas Anelka | Arsenal | |
| 1999–2000 | Harry Kewell | Leeds United | |
| 2000–01 | Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | FPY |
| 2001–02 | Craig Bellamy | Newcastle United | |
| 2002–03 | Jermaine Jenas | Newcastle United | |
| 2003–04 | Scott Parker | Charlton Athletic Chelsea | |
| 2004–05 | Wayne Rooney | Manchester United | |
| 2005–06 | Wayne Rooney (2) | Manchester United | FPY |
| 2006–07 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | PPY, FWA, FPY, PPS |
| 2007–08 | Cesc Fàbregas | Arsenal | |
| 2008–09 | Ashley Young | Aston Villa | |
| 2009–10 | James Milner | Aston Villa | |
| 2010–11 | Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | |
| 2011–12 | Kyle Walker | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 2012–13 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur | PPY, FWA, PPS |
| 2013–14 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea | |
| 2014–15 | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 2015–16 | Dele Alli | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 2016–17 | Dele Alli (2) | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 2017–18 | Leroy Sané | Manchester City | |
| 2018–19 | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | FWA |
| 2019–20 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | PYPS |
| 2020–21 | Phil Foden | Manchester City | PYPS |
| 2021–22 | Phil Foden (2) | Manchester City | PYPS |
| 2022–23 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | |
| 2023–24 | Cole Palmer | Chelsea | PYPS |

## Breakdown of winners
### By country

Winners of the PFA Young Player of the Year by country :
| Country | Number of wins | Winning years |
| England | 38 | 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| Wales | 6 | 1982–83, 1984–85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2012–13 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1976–77 |
| France | 1 | 1998–99 |
| Australia | 1 | 1999–2000 |
| Portugal | 1 | 2006–07 |
| Spain | 1 | 2007–08 |
| Belgium | 1 | 2013–14 |
| Germany | 1 | 2017–18 |

### By club

Winners of the PFA Young Player of the Year by club :
| Club | Number of wins | Winning years |
| Manchester United | 8 | 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 1979–80, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 |
| Liverpool | 6 | 1982–83, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2019–20 |
| Arsenal | 6 | 1986–87, 1988–89, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2022–23 |
| Manchester City | 5 | 1975–76, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 |
| Aston Villa | 4 | 1976–77, 1980–81, 2008–09, 2009–10 |
| Newcastle United | 4 | 1987–88, 1993–94, 2001–02, 2002–03 |
| Chelsea | 3 | 2003–04, 2013–14, 2023–24 |
| West Ham United | 2 | 1974–75, 1985–86 |
| Southampton | 2 | 1981–82, 1989–90 |
| Ipswich Town | 1 | 1973–74 |
| Nottingham Forest | 1 | 1977–78 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 1978–79 |
| Luton Town | 1 | 1983–84 |
| Leeds United | 1 | 1999–2000 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1 | 2003–04 |