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SFWA Footballer of the Year

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Henrik Larsson has won the award twice.

The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the SFWA Footballer of the Year, or simply the Scottish Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish football.[1] The award has been presented since the 1964–65 season, and the winner is selected by a vote amongst the members of the Scottish Football Writers' Association (SFWA), which comprises over 100 football journalists based throughout Scotland.[2] The first winner was Celtic's Billy McNeill, and the first non-Scottish winner was Mark Hateley of Rangers in 1994. Six players have won the award on more than one occasion, the most recent being Craig Gordon, who won his second award in the 2014–15 season.

The award was instigated in 1965, eight years after the association was founded, and committee member Allan Herron was charged with obtaining the permission of the Scottish Football Association to make the first award. Each member of the association casts one vote and also nominates a runner-up. In the event of a tie for first place the number of runner-up votes is taken into consideration.[2] Although it is the older of the two awards, the SFWA award is considered by the players themselves to be of secondary importance to the PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year because the winner of the PFA Scotland award is chosen by his fellow professionals.[3]

List of winners

The award has been presented on 50 occasions as of 2014, with 44 different individual players winning. On one occasion the award was presented collectively to the Scotland national squad.[4] The table also indicates where the winning player also won the PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year award (SPFA).[5] In 2012–13, Leigh Griffiths became the first player to win the SFWA award and the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award in the same season.[6]

Brian McClair won the award in 1987.
Ally McCoist was the 1992 winner.
Shunsuke Nakamura was the 2007 winner.
Season Player Club Also won Notes
1964–65  SCO Billy McNeill Celtic
1965–66  SCO John Greig Rangers
1966–67  SCO Ronnie Simpson Celtic
1967–68  SCO Gordon Wallace Raith Rovers
1968–69  SCO Bobby Murdoch Celtic
1969–70  SCO Pat Stanton Hibernian
1970–71  SCO Martin Buchan Aberdeen
1971–72  SCO Dave Smith Rangers
1972–73  SCO George Connelly Celtic
1973–74  SCO Scotland World Cup squad
1974–75  SCO Sandy Jardine Rangers
1975–76  SCO John Greig Rangers [note 1]
1976–77  SCO Danny McGrain Celtic
1977–78  SCO Derek Johnstone Rangers SPFA [note 2]
1978–79  SCO Andy Ritchie Morton
1979–80  SCO Gordon Strachan Aberdeen
1980–81  SCO Alan Rough Partick Thistle
1981–82  SCO Paul Sturrock Dundee United
1982–83  SCO Charlie Nicholas Celtic SPFA
1983–84  SCO Willie Miller Aberdeen SPFA
1984–85  SCO Hamish McAlpine Dundee United
1985–86  SCO Sandy Jardine Heart of Midlothian [note 3]
1986–87  SCO Brian McClair Celtic SPFA
1987–88  SCO Paul McStay Celtic SPFA
1988–89  SCO Richard Gough Rangers
1989–90  SCO Alex McLeish Aberdeen
1990–91  SCO Maurice Malpas Dundee United
1991–92  SCO Ally McCoist Rangers SPFA
1992–93  SCO Andy Goram Rangers SPFA
1993–94  ENG Mark Hateley Rangers SPFA [note 4]
1994–95  DEN Brian Laudrup Rangers SPFA [note 5]
1995–96  ENG Paul Gascoigne Rangers SPFA
1996–97  DEN Brian Laudrup Rangers
1997–98  SCO Craig Burley Celtic
1998–99  SWE Henrik Larsson Celtic SPFA
1999–00  SCO Barry Ferguson Rangers
2000–01  SWE Henrik Larsson Celtic SPFA
2001–02  SCO Paul Lambert Celtic
2002–03  SCO Barry Ferguson Rangers SPFA
2003–04  SCO Jackie McNamara Celtic
2004–05  WAL John Hartson Celtic SPFA [note 6]
2005–06  SCO Craig Gordon Heart of Midlothian
2006–07  JPN Shunsuke Nakamura Celtic SPFA [note 7]
2007–08  ESP Carlos Cuéllar Rangers
2008–09  SCO Gary Caldwell Celtic [7]
2009–10  SCO David Weir Rangers [8]
2010–11  HON Emilio Izaguirre Celtic SPFA [9]
2011–12  SCO Charlie Mulgrew Celtic SPFA [10]
2012–13  SCO Leigh Griffiths Hibernian [6]
2013–14  SCO Kris Commons Celtic SPFA [11]
2014–15  SCO Craig Gordon Celtic [12]

Breakdown of winners

Winners by country

Country Number of wins Winning seasons
 Scotland
41
 1964–65, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
 Sweden
2
 1998–99, 2000–01
 Denmark
2
 1994–95, 1996–97
 England
2
 1993–94, 1995–96
 Spain
1
 2007–08
 Japan
1
 2006–07
 Wales
1
 2004–05
 Honduras
1
 2010–11

Winners by club

Club Number of wins Winning seasons
Celtic
20
 1964–65, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15
Rangers
16
 1965–66, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2002–03, 2007–08, 2009–10
Aberdeen
4
 1970–71, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1989–90
Dundee United
3
 1981–82, 1984–85, 1990–91
Heart of Midlothian
2
 1985–86, 2005–06
Hibernian
2
 1969–70, 2012–13
Partick Thistle
1
 1980–81
Morton
1
 1978–79
Scotland
1
 1973–74
Raith Rovers
1
 1967–68

See also

Notes

  1. ^ First player to win the award twice.
  2. ^ First player to win SFWA and SPFA awards in the same season.
  3. ^ First player to win the award twice with two different clubs.
  4. ^ First non-Scottish winner.
  5. ^ First winner from outside the British Isles
  6. ^ Hartson shared the SPFA award with Fernando Ricksen.
  7. ^ First winner from outside Europe.

References

  1. ^ Neil Cameron (2008-04-10). "I Would Have Voted For Ranger Alan Hutton As Best Player, Reveals Shunsuke Nakamura". The Daily Record. Retrieved 2008-02-29. We all have opinions about who is the season's best player and a year ago it was Nakamura who came out on top in voting for both the PFA and Football Writers' award.
  2. ^ a b Jim Black. "Fifty years of passion and prose". Sunday Herald. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  3. ^ Stuart Lovell (2008-04-07). "Why Aiden should run away with player prize". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  4. ^ "Scotland – Player of the Year". RSSSF. 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  5. ^ Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007–08. Invincible Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-00-725555-9.
  6. ^ a b Forsyth, Roddy (17 May 2013). "Hibs striker Leigh Griffiths nets another accolade". Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Celtic ace Gary Caldwell scoops football writers award". Sunday Mail. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  8. ^ Halliday, Stephen (2010-05-08). "Walter Smith hails player of the year David Weir as 'best professional I have worked with' award". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  9. ^ "More awards for Izaguirre, Goodwillie and Paatelainen". BBC Sport. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  10. ^ "Charlie Mulgrew caps fine season by being named Scottish Football Writers' Association Player of the Year". Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  11. ^ Smith, Andrew (11 May 2014). "Kris Commons voted writers' player of the year". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  12. ^ Halliday, Stephen (20 May 2015). "Craig Gordon named writers' Player of the Year". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 May 2015.

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