The PFA Harry Kewell Medal is an annual award given for outstanding performance by an under-23 player playing in the A-League or overseas-based Australian. The award has been presented since 2008–09, and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA). It is named after former Australian star Harry Kewell, who represented Australia between 1996 and 2012, and was noted for his achievements from a young age.[1] The first winner of the award was Perth Glory winger Nikita Rukavytsya. The most recent winner is Jordan Bos.
 Mathew Ryan has won the award three times. | |
| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Presented by | PFA |
| History | |
| First award | 2009 |
| Editions | 14 |
| First winner |  Nikita Rukavytsya |
| Most wins | Mathew Ryan (3 wins) |
| Most recent |  Alex Paulsen |
| Website | Official website |
As of 2020, only Mathew Ryan has won the award on more than one occasion. Three players from outside of Australia, Marco Rojas, Liberato Cacace and Alex Paulsen (all from New Zealand), have won the award. Although they have their own dedicated award, players aged 23 or under at the start of the season remain eligible to win the PFA Men's Footballer of the Year award, and on one occasion the same player has won both awards for a season.
Winners
editThe award has been presented on 13 occasions as of 2020, with 11 different winners.
| Year | Player | Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Nikita Rukavytsya |
Perth Glory |
|
| 2009–10 | Mitch Langerak |
Melbourne Victory |
First goalkeeper to win the award |
| 2010–11 | Robbie Kruse |
Melbourne Victory |
|
| 2011–12 | Mathew Ryan |
Central Coast Mariners |
|
| 2012–13 | Marco Rojas |
Melbourne Victory |
First winner from outside Australia |
| 2013–14 | Mathew Ryan |
 Club Brugge |
First player to win the award twice First player to win the award playing for a non-A-League club |
| 2014–15 | Mathew Ryan |
Club Brugge |
First player to win the award three times First player to win the award in consecutive seasons |
| 2015–16 | Jamie Maclaren |
Brisbane Roar |
|
| 2016–17 | Alex Gersbach |
 Rosenborg BK |
|
| 2017–18 | Daniel Arzani |
Melbourne City |
|
| 2018–19 | Chris Ikonomidis |
Perth Glory |
|
| 2019–20 | Liberato Cacace |
Wellington Phoenix |
|
| 2020–21 | Connor Metcalfe |
Melbourne City |
|
| 2021–22 | Denis Genreau |
 Toulouse |
|
| 2022–23 | Jordan Bos |
Melbourne City |
|
| 2023–24 | Alex Paulsen |
Wellington Phoenix
|
Breakdown of winners
editBy country
edit| Country | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Australia |
14 |
2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22 2022–23 |
| New Zealand |
3 |
2012–13, 2019–20, 2023–24 |
By club
edit| Club | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne City |
3 |
2017–18, 2020–21, 2022–23 |
| Melbourne Victory |
3 |
2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13 |
| Club Brugge |
2 |
2013–14, 2014–15 |
| Perth Glory |
2 |
2008–09, 2018–19 |
| Wellington Phoenix |
2 |
2019–20, 2023–24 |
| Brisbane Roar |
1 |
2015–16 |
| Central Coast Mariners |
1 |
2011–12 |
| Rosenborg |
1 |
2016–17 |
| Toulouse |
1 |
2021–22 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Lynch, Michael (12 October 2013). "Kewell sets Heart racing". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Awards & Honours". Professional Footballers Australia. Retrieved 21 April 2020.