Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer, Mohamed Salah and Thierry Henry part of exclusive group

With the season coming to an end, the Premier League’s best players are set to receive personal recognition for their performances.

The PFA Awards night is the most prestigious in England and winning the Players’ Player of the Year is arguably the country’s best personal accolade. 

Erling Haaland is, of course, the huge favourite to win the award on his debut campaign in the Premier League after breaking the all-time goalscoring record. 

He will join a whole host of top-flight legends if he does get his hands on the famous trophy later this year. 

Past PFA Player of the Year award winners

The PFA Awards were first founded in 1973 and they will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. 

Leeds United legend Norman Hunter won the inaugural PFA Players’ Player of the Year award before Derby County’s Colin Todd won the following season. 

And before the Premier League era, many huge names had deservedly won the award. 

Andy Gray, Peter Shilton, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes are just a few of those winners before the creation of the modern top flight. 

Aston Villa’s Paul McGrath won the first PFA Players’ Player of the Year trophy after a Premier League season in 1992. 

Manchester United’s Eric Cantona and top-flight legend Alan Shearer then picked up the award in the following two years. 

Shearer is one of only seven players to have won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award twice throughout their career. 

Hughes, Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah are the only players to ever achieve that feat. 

Salah is the current holder of the award while Luis Suarez, Eden Hazard, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and Virgil van Dijk have all been winners in the last ten years. 

The full list of winners can be found below…

1973/74: Norman Hunter – Leeds

1974/75: Colin Todd – Derby County 

1975/76: Pat Jennings – Tottenham 

1976/77: Andy Gray – Aston Villa 

1977/78: Peter Shilton – Nottingham Forest 

1978/79: Liam Brady – Arsenal 

1979/80: Terry McDermott – Liverpool 

1980/81: John Wark – Ipswich 

1981/82: Kevin Keegan – Southampton

1982/83: Kenny Dalglish – Liverpool 

1983/84: Ian Rush – Liverpool 

1984/85: Peter Reid – Everton

1985/86: Gary Lineker – Everton 

1986/87: Clive Allen – Tottenham 

1987/88: John Barnes – Liverpool 

1988/89: Mark Hughes – Man United 

1989/90: David Platt – Aston Villa 

1990/91: Mark Hughes – Man United 

1991/92: Gary Pallister – Man United 

1992/93: Paul McGrath – Aston Villa 

1993/94: Eric Cantona – Man United 

1994/95: Alan Shearer – Blackburn

1995/96: Les Ferdinand – Newcastle

1996/97: Alan Shearer – Newcastle 

1997/98: Dennis Bergkamp – Arsenal 

1998/99: David Ginola – Tottenham 

1999/2000: Roy Keane – Man United 

2000/01: Teddy Sheringham – Man United 

2001/02: Ruud van Nistelrooy – Man United 

2002/03: Thierry Henry – Arsenal 

2003/04: Thierry Henry – Arsenal 

2004/05: John Terry – Chelsea 

2005/06: Steven Gerrard – Liverpool 

2006/07: Cristiano Ronaldo – Man United 

2007/08: Cristiano Ronaldo – Man United 

2008/09: Ryan Giggs – Man United 

2009/10: Wayne Rooney – Man United 

2010/11: Gareth Bale – Tottenham 

2011/12: Robin van Persie – Arsenal 

2012/13: Gareth Bale – Tottenham 

2013/14: Luis Suarez – Liverpool 

2014/15: Eden Hazard – Chelsea 

2015/16: Riyad Mahrez – Leicester 

2016/17: N’Golo Kante – Chelsea 

2017/18: Mohamed Salah – Liverpool 

2018/19: Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool 

2019/20: Kevin De Bruyne – Man City 

2020/21: Kevin De Bruyne – Man City

2021/22: Mohamed Salah – Liverpool