The Professional Footballers Association has released its six-man shortlist for their Players’ Player of the Year for the 2021/22 campaign.
Half of the list is comprised of Liverpool players with forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah joining Reds teammate Virgil van Dijk on the shortlist. Jurgen Klopp’s side scooped the FA Cup and EFL Cup trophies this year but their season ended on a disappointing note as they lost the Champions League final against Real Madrid after missing out on the Premier League title on the final day to Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side are represented on the list by playmaker Kevin de Bruyne; the Belgian international was City’s standout player as they secured their fourth league title in the space of five years. The 30-year-old is aiming to become the first player ever to win the award for three successive seasons.
Manchester United endured their worst season in decades as they slumped to a sixth-placed finish - a whopping 11 points off fifth-placed Arsenal and 35 from the title-winning pace. However, star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is named on the Players’ Player of the Year shortlist after netting 24 goals across all competitions, including 18 in the Premier League during his first season back at Old Trafford in 12 years.
The list is completed by Tottenham striker and England captain Harry Kane, who netted 27 goals across all competitions. However, his goal return of 17 Premier League goals was his joint-lowest across eight full campaigns in the club’s first-team squad.
There were a handful of notable omissions from the list including Kane’s strike partner Heung-Min Son, who bagged 23 goals in the Premier League – ensuring he shared the Golden Boot with Liverpool striker Salah. South Korean star Son’s goals helped propel Tottenham to a top four finish and a return to Champions League football for next season.
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De Bruyne scooped the award for both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns and is aiming for a historic third in a row, with Reds star Van Dijk and Salah proving triumphant in the 2019 and 2018 versions respectively. Each Liverpool player is aiming for their second this time round to join an exclusive club to win the award more than once including Gareth Bale, Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Mark Hughes.
Ronaldo is aiming to become the first Manchester United player to win the award since 2010, when Wayne Rooney scooped the gong – the fourth year in a row that a United player had landed the title. United still have the most awards of any club (11), with Liverpool (8) still in second place.
The awards ceremony will be held on 9 June and is due to get underway at 7pm.
