France Football’s Ballon d’Or and, to a lesser extent, FIFA’s The Best dominate much of the discourse on the individual awards front.
Domestic honours are perhaps less celebrated, but there are few boasting greater prestige than the PFA’s annual ceremony in England. Its showpiece prize, the Players’ Player of the Year, has been handed out more than 50 times to many of the greats to step foot on English shores.
For many, recognition from their peers carries far greater weight than journalistic or even fan appreciation. “The biggest personal award you can get in the game,” Teddy Sheringham commented in 2001, while John Terry described his success in 2005 as “the ultimate accolade”.
Phil Foden echoed similar sentiments after claiming the honour in 2024, proving that the latest generation still treat the award with the veneration of those that came before them.
Here are all the winners of PFA Players’ Players of the Year award.
