Norwegian striker Erling Haaland was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year as Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka took home the PFA Young Player of the Year award at the Professional Footballers Association Awards ceremony on Tuesday.
Haaland enjoyed a stunning debut season for Manchester City, hitting 52 goals in all competitions as they won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble last season.
He specifically contributed a record-breaking 36 league goals and eight assists, a joint-record-best tally in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old towering forward, beat a field including now-departed Harry Kane, Kevin de Bruyne and three others to claim the top prize on Tuesday night.
On the other hand, Bukayo Saka won the young player award ahead of Gabriel Martinelli, his Arsenal teammate after enjoying his finest season to date, scoring 14 goals for the Gunners and contributing 11 assists.
The England international was a linchpin for Arsenal last season as they pushed champions Manchester City through most of the EPL season.
Meanwhile, England and Aston Villa star Rachel Daly and her Lionesses team-mate Lauren James of Chelsea were named the PFA Players’ Women’s Player of the Year and PFA Players’ Young Player of the year respectively in the awards voted for by their peers.
Daly and James were key performers for England in their run to the World Cup final earlier this month, but the accolades they received on Tuesday (August 29) night are based on their performances last season.
Daly’s victory in the senior women’s player category came after she hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer.
The 31-year-old from Harrogate saw off competition from five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list – Sam Kerr, Frida Maanum, Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Ona Batlle.
James, who featured in the World Cup final as a substitute after a red card in the last 16 against Nigeria meant she was suspended for the quarter-final and semi-final, was a key player for Chelsea as they won the domestic double.
Similarly, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright picked up the men’s PFA Merit award, while Jill Scott, who won 161 caps for England Women’s NT and retired after the Lionesses’ Euro triumph last summer, received the women’s Merit award.
To mark the awards reaching a half-century, the PFA also handed out individual player prizes for the Championship, League One and League Two for the first time.
Chuba Akpom was voted as the second tier’s top player, after scoring 28 goals for Middlesbrough (the most in the championship last season). His fine form at Boro earned him a summer move to Dutch side Ajax AFC.
Meanwhile, Conor Chaplin, whose 26 goals spearheaded Ipswich’s promotion push from League One, won that division’s award, while Bradford’s Andy Cook was League Two’s Players’ Player of the Year.
PFA Awards 2023 Winners List
| Awards | Player (Club) |
| PFA Players’ Player of the Year | Erling Haaland (Manchester City) |
| PFA Players’ Young Player of the Year | Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) |
| PFA Players’ Women’s Player of the Year | Rachel Daly (Aston Villa Women) |
| PFA Players’ Women’s Young Player of the Year | Lauren James (Chelsea) |
| PFA Players’ Championship Player of the Year | Chuba Apkom (Middlesborough) |
| PFA Players’ League One Player of the Year | Conor Chaplin (Ipswich) |
| PFA Players’ League Two Player of the Year | Andy Cook (Bradford City) |
| PFA Merit Award | Ian Wright |
| PFA Merit Award | Jill Scott |
Plus, the men’s and women’s teams of the year were also named with Arsenal and Manchester City stars taking up most of slots in the men’s team, while the women’s team features players from United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal. Here is a look at the teams of the year 2023.
Do you have a story or an opinion to share? Email us on: dailyexpressug@gmail.com Or follow the Daily Express on X Platform or WhatsApp for the latest updates.
PFA Premier League Team of the Year 2023 (4-3-3)
| Position | Player | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Aaron Ramsdale | Arsenal |
| Defender | John Stones | Manchester City |
| Defender | Ruben Dias | Manchester City |
| Defender | William Saliba | Arsenal |
| Defender | Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United |
| Midfielder | Rodri | Manchester City |
| Midfielder | Martin Odegaard | Arsenal |
| Midfielder | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City |
| Forward | Harry Kane | Tottenham |
| Forward | Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
| Forward | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal |
PFA FA WSL Team of the Year 2023 (4-3-3)
| Position | Player | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Mary Earps | Manchester United |
| Defender | Ona Batlle | Manchester United |
| Defender | Rafaelle Souza | Arsenal |
| Defender | Maya Le Tissier | Manchester United |
| Defender | Alex Greenwood | Manchester City |
| Midfielder | Guro Reiten | Chelsea |
| Midfielder | Yui Hasegawa | Manchester City |
| Midfielder | Frida Maanum | Arsenal |
| Forward | Rachel Daly | Aston Villa |
| Forward | Sam Kerr | Chelsea |
| Forward | Khadija Shaw | Manchester City |
