PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year


The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish football. The award has been presented since the 1977–78 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland. The award was formerly known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year, but was renamed after the SPFA merged with the Professional Footballers' Association to become PFA Scotland.
The first winner of the award was Rangers striker Derek Johnstone, and the first non-Scottish winner was Aberdeen goalkeeper Theo Snelders eleven years later. As of 2019, only Henrik Larsson and Scott Brown have won the award on more than one occasion. Although there is a separate PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, young players remain eligible to win the senior award, and in the 2005–06 season Shaun Maloney became the first player to win both awards in the same season, a feat repeated by Aiden McGeady two years later.
A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of PFA Scotland's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in Glasgow a few days later. The award is regarded by the players themselves as extremely prestigious, with John Hartson commenting in 2005 that "the award means a lot because it's voted by your fellow professionals" and Shaun Maloney stating in 2006 that "there is no better accolade than to be voted for by your peers and it does mean a lot to me". In 2007 the SPFA was replaced by a new body, PFA Scotland, but the new organisation's awards are considered to be a direct continuation of the SPFA awards.

Winners

The award has been presented on 42 occasions as of 2020, with two players sharing the award on one occasion. There have been 41 different winners, with Henrik Larsson and Scott Brown being the only players to have won the award more than once. The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award, and the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award.
was the 1992 winner.
SeasonNatPlayerClubNotesRef
1977–78RangersAlso won the SFWA award. First player to win SPFA and SFWA awards in the same season.
1978–79Dundee United
1979–80Celtic
1980–81Aberdeen
1981–82Airdrieonians
1982–83CelticAlso won the SFWA award.
1983–84AberdeenAlso won the SFWA award
1984–85Morton
1985–86Dundee United
1986–87CelticAlso won the SFWA award
1987–88CelticAlso won the SFWA award
1988–89AberdeenFirst winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom
1989–90Aberdeen
1990–91Celtic
1991–92RangersAlso won the SFWA award
1992–93RangersAlso won the SFWA award
1993–94RangersAlso won the SFWA award
1994–95RangersAlso won the SFWA award
1995–96RangersAlso won the SFWA award
1996–97Celtic
1997–98Celtic
1998–99CelticAlso won the SFWA award
1999–00CelticFirst winner of the award from outside Europe
2000–01CelticFirst two-time winner of the award. Also won the SFWA award.
2001–02Rangers
2002–03RangersAlso won the SFWA award
2003–04Celtic
2004–05 Rangers
2004–05 CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2005–06CelticAlso won the SYPY award. First player to win both PFA Scotland awards in the same season.
2006–07CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2007–08CelticAlso won the SYPY award
2008–09Celtic
2009–10Rangers
2010–11CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2011–12CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2012–13Motherwell
2013–14CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2014–15Celtic
2015–16CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2016–17CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2017–18CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2018–19CelticAlso won the SFWA award
2019-20Due to the covid-19 pandemic, PFA Scotland cancelled their awards for the 2019-20 season.

Breakdown of winners

Winners by country

Winners by club