Manchester City star Erling Haaland has been voted the Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has produced a masterful season with his goal tally in all competitions currently up at 51, and he won 82 per cent of the FWA vote, the biggest margin of victory since the Premier League began.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka finished as runner-up, with his Gunners team-mate Martin Odegaard third.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne finished fourth, with Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford fifth. In total, 15 players received votes.
The 22-year-old becomes the first City player to win the FWA award, which has been presented since 1948, since centre back Ruben Dias in 2020-21.
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr becomes the first back-to-back winner of the Women’s Footballer of the Year award after another impressive campaign.
The Australian earned twice as many votes as England and Aston Villa star Rachel Daly, with Chelsea’s Lauren James third overall. In total 25 different players got votes in the WFOTY poll.
Both players will receive their awards at the Landmark Hotel London on Thursday May 25 at a special Footballer of the Year dinner, marking the 75th anniversary of the award, first won by Sir Stanley Matthews in 1948.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has enjoyed a remarkable campaign in which he broke the Premier League’s single season goal record at home against West Ham, bagging his 35th of the campaign that night.
Fifty of his goals have come inside the box and he is averaging a goal every 72 minutes.
With four games remaining in City’s pursuit of another Premier League title, more records could fall at Haaland’s feet.
The Norwegian already has four Premier League hat-tricks to his name since completing his £51m move to the Etihad last summer.
He’s managed to bag three goals in outings against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Wolves this season, putting him well within touching distance of the single-season record of five league hat-tricks.
That is a record set by Alan Shearer, in the 1995-96 campaign.