The Arsenal Player of the Season award is an official award given by Arsenal Football Club to the best performing player from the club over the course of the season. The award is given based on votes by Arsenal fans on the club's website,[1][2] it was previously based on votes by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust.[3]
.jpg) Thierry Henry has won the award four times, the most of any player | |
| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | being the best performing Arsenal player over the course of a season |
| Presented by | Arsenal F.C. |
| History | |
| First award | 1967 |
| Editions | 57 (as of 2023) |
| First winner |  Frank McLintock |
| Most wins |  Thierry Henry (4 times) |
| Most recent |  Martin Ødegaard(2023–24) |
The inaugural award was handed to Frank McLintock in 1967 and it has been presented every season since.[3] The 2015–16 and 2016–17 awards were officially called the Vitality Arsenal Player of the Season Award for sponsorship purposes.[4][5] The award has been given to 42 different players over the course of 57 seasons, with 11 players being awarded on more than one occasion. Of these players, only Thierry Henry has won the award four times, and he is also the only player to have won the award in three consecutive years. In 1976, Republic of Ireland international Liam Brady became the first Arsenal player from outside the United Kingdom to win the award and in 1997, Dutch international Dennis Bergkamp became the first player from outside the British Isles to receive it.[3] Following the 2014−15 season, Chilean international Alexis Sánchez was voted to become the first player from outside of Europe to win the award.[3][6]
Martin Ødegaard is the most recent winner of the award, following the 2023–24 Arsenal season.
Award recipients
edit.png)
.jpg)
Players in bold are still playing for Arsenal[8][9]
Multiple wins
edit| Rank | Winner | Total wins | Years won |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thierry Henry (FRA)
|
4 | 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| 2 |  Liam Brady (IRL)
|
3 | 1976, 1978, 1979 |
 Tony Adams (ENG)
|
1987, 1990, 1994 | ||
| 3 | John Radford (ENG)
|
2 | 1968, 1973 |
| Frank Stapleton (IRL)
|
1977, 1980 | ||
| Ian Wright (ENG)
|
1992, 1993 | ||
 Cesc Fàbregas (ESP)
|
2007, 2010 | ||
 Robin van Persie (NED)
|
2009, 2012 | ||
 Alexis Sánchez (CHI)
|
2015, 2017 | ||
 Aaron Ramsey (WAL)
|
2014, 2018 | ||
| Bukayo Saka (ENG)
|
2021, 2022 | ||
| Martin Ødegaard (NOR)
|
2023, 2024 |
Wins by nationality
edit| Nationality | Wins |
|---|---|
| England
|
26 |
| France
|
8 |
| Republic of Ireland
|
5 |
| Netherlands
|
3 |
| Scotland
|
3 |
| Spain
|
3 |
| Chile
|
2 |
 Germany
|
2 |
| Norway
|
2 |
| Wales
|
2 |
 Gabon
|
1 |
 Northern Ireland
|
1 |
Wins by playing position
edit| Position | Wins |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | 4 |
| Defender | 11 |
| Midfielder | 20 |
| Forward | 22 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Lacazette wins Arsenal Player of the Year award". Goal. 4 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Bukayo Saka named Arsenal player of the season". BBC Sport. 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d Maidment, Jem (2006). The Official Arsenal Encyclopedia. London: Hamlyn. p. 148. ISBN 9780600615491.
- ^ "Vitality Player of Season – the winner." Arsenal F.C. 26 May 2017. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- ^ "Vitality Player of the Season". Arsenal F.C. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ James, Josh (31 May 2022). "'I played for the club of my dreams'". Arsenal F.C. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
- ^ Miller, Nick (9 February 2017). "Golden Goal: Alan Smith for Arsenal v Liverpool (1989)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "Icons that have won our Men's Player of the Season". Arsenal F.C. 24 May 2023. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Jonathon (7 June 2024). "Odegaard retains men's Player of the Season award". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
Further reading
edit- Brennan, Dan (2004). The official Arsenal miscellany. London: Hamlyn. p. 91. ISBN 9780600612599.
- Seager, Dave (20 November 2014). Geordie Armstrong: On the Wing. Legends Publishing. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9781906796549.
