Key figure in Manchester City’s historic treble last season, Erling Haaland has been voted the Player of the Year in England.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has won the PFA Player of the Year award on Tuesday after his brilliant debut season with the Cityzens. English star from Aston Villa, Rachel Daly, won the women’s award, voted by football players. Organized by the Professional Footballers’ Association, these awards recognize the best male and female players in English football in 2023.
Haaland had a stunning debut season for City, scoring 52 goals across all competitions as Pep Guardiola’s men secured the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League titles.
The 23-year-old player beat competition from his teammates John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, as well as the Arsenal duo of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, now at Bayern Munich.
On the other hand, Rachel Daly scored 22 goals in the Women’s Super League last season, an impressive feat for a player who played as a left-back during the successful Lionesses campaign in the 2022 Euro. The 31-year-old defender beat competition from Sam Kerr, Frida Maanum, Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, and Ona Batlle to take the top spot on the podium.
In other categories, Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka was voted Young Male Player of the Year while Chelsea’s Lauren James claimed that award for the women. Both Daly and James were key players for England in their run to the Women’s World Cup final, which ended in a defeat against Spain earlier this month.
