PFA Young Player of the Year
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox sports award 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;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="EOL">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Aston Villa player Morgan Rogers, who won the award on 19 August 2025.<ref name="recent"/>
Although the award is open to players at all levels,<ref name="EOL" /> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of 2025, 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,<ref>The total of seven includes Cyrille Regis, who was born in French Guiana but represented England at international level.</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The players themselves consider the award to be highly prestigious, because the winner is chosen by his fellow professionals.<ref name="Rooney secures young player prize">Template:Cite news</ref>
Winners
The award has been presented on 52 occasions as of 2025, to 46 players.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Gerrard named player of the year">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Ronaldo secures PFA awards double">Template:Cite news</ref> 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),<ref name="Gerrard named player of the year"/><ref name="Ronaldo secures PFA awards double"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award (FWA),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Premier League Player of the Season award (PPS),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Premier League Young Player of the Season award (PYPS), and the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Breakdown of winners
By country
| Country | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Flagicon England | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 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, 2024–25 |
| Template:Flagicon Wales | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1982–83, 1984–85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2001–02, 2012–13 |
| Template:Flagicon Scotland | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1976–77 |
| Template:Flagicon France | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1998–99 |
| Template:Flagicon Australia | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1999–2000 |
| Template:Flagicon Portugal | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 2006–07 |
| Template:Flagicon Spain | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 2007–08 |
| Template:Flagicon Belgium | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 2013–14 |
| Template:Flagicon Germany | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 2017–18 |
By club
| Club | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1996–97, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1979–80, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 |
| Liverpool | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1982–83, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2019–20 |
| Arsenal | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1986–87, 1988–89, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2022–23 |
| Aston Villa | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1976–77, 1980–81, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2024–25 |
| Manchester City | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1975–76, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 |
| Newcastle United | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1987–88, 1993–94, 2001–02, 2002–03 |
| Chelsea | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 2003–04, 2013–14, 2023–24 |
| West Ham United | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1974–75, 1985–86 |
| Southampton | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1981–82, 1989–90 |
| Ipswich Town | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1973–74 |
| Nottingham Forest | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1977–78 |
| West Bromwich Albion | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1978–79 |
| Luton Town | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1983–84 |
| Leeds United | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 1999–2000 |
| Charlton Athletic | check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }} | 2003–04 |
References
External links
Template:PFA Young Player of the Year Template:English football awards