One vote decided Leeds United’s Fans’ Footballer of the Year gong with Tyler Adams snatching the award from Illan Meslier with only four months of football under his belt. Rodrigo was only five votes back in third after the tightest race in the prize’s short history.
LeedsLive have been asking supporters to vote for their 2022 footballer of the year across the past few weeks with Adams, Meslier, Rodrigo and Raphinha shortlisted. While the Brazilian was handicapped by his exit and a half-year dominated by a relegation fight, Adams only had a third of the year to turn the tide in his favour.
The USA international took 27.5 per cent of the vote, while Meslier was one vote back at 27.3 per cent. Rodrigo claimed 26.2 per cent and Raphinha made up the final 19 per cent.
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Adams’s stock continued to rise through the World Cup too, which surely boosted his vote count. However, there is no doubting the impact the 23-year-old has made on the pitch since August.
After starting 13 of the 14 matches, the midfielder has shone as a tough-tackling, hard-working, gritty, intelligent anticipator of danger. Adams always seems to know where he needs to be, and when, to nullify opposition attacks.
Meslier’s year cannot be ignored because of one vote. The goalkeeper benefitted from having the full 12 months to impress and he has demonstrated a slow, but sure, realisation of the potential everyone can see in the 22-year-old.
Rodrigo has long been derided since arriving in 2020 for a record fee after failing to score regularly for the Whites, or even fit into the systems of Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch. The 31-year-old scored three goals in three important wins down the home stretch for the latter last season before exploding into 22/23 with nine goals from 13 appearances.
Fans’ Footballer of the Year has been run across the Reach network in the past few weeks with Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes ultimately winning the readers’ overall national vote. Mohamed Salah, Beth Mead, Bukayo Saka and Erling Haaland would make up the top five.
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