- Declan Rice of West Ham United was an entirely predictable choice given his steady performances this season
- After claiming 11 clean sheets, Wolves’ Jose Sa was named the club’s leading award as well as the Players’ Player of the Season
- Ronaldo to win the award, although David De Gea defeated him in the casting votes for the club’s Players’ Player of the 2021-22 season
Another Premier League season has passed, and while few clubs had much to celebrate, they could find some rays of sunshine amid the gloom.
Manchester United might have done better to celebrate their sixth-place finish with an end-of-season awards ceremony, but that didn’t stop them from naming the players they thought had done the least well.
Not surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was named player-of-the-year (he probably had it written into his contract), with David De Gea also being recognised for his exceptional bravery in adversity.
Kevin De Bruyne- Manchester City
Kevin de Bruyne won the 2021/22 player of the year. Photo: MARCA
Let us begin with the most straightforward and, thus, the most boring. This season, the City star has swept the awards.
He was named the 2021/22 Premier League Player of the Season for the second time after winning his fourth City Player of the Season award.
De Bruyne helped Man City win their sixth Premier League title by scoring 19 goals and assisting 13 times in all competitions, his greatest rate for the club.
Big goals usually sway voters, so De Bruyne’s scoring against Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea was advantageous.
Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, and Cancelo all had solid seasons and may be disappointed they didn’t get a chance.
Mohamed Salah- Liverpool
Mohamed Salah Liverpool’s won the 2021/22 player of the year. Photo: MARCA
There are no surprises here. Mo Salah won Liverpool’s award after leading the league in goals (23) and assists (13) this season.
This season, the Egyptian has already won the Football Writers’ Award, the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, Goal of the Season, and his third Golden Boot, along with spur’s Heung-min Son.
Son Heung- min – Tottenham
Son Heung-Min Tottenham Hotspurs won the 2021/22 player of the year. Photo: MARCA
Son gathered yet another impressive collection of personal recognitions at Spurs. For the third time in four years, he was named Player of the Season, Juniors’ Player of the Season, and Official Supporters’ Clubs’ Player of the Season.
However, he was not nominated for PFA Player of the Year, giving Spurs fans something to complain about this summer.
Wantaway forward Steven Bergwijn capped an otherwise unremarkable season by winning Goal of the Season for the second of his two goals during the last win over Leicester City.
Bukayo Saka- Arsenal
The Gunners pulled out their Player of the Season awards for a week by announcing them in reverse order (ending in fifth!) – but sooner or later, Bukayo Saka won the award.
The 20-year-old scored 11 goals and assisted on another seven, assisting the Gunners in finishing fifth under Mikel Arteta.
Cristiano Ronaldo- Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo won his fourth Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award, which was the easiest one for him to win, considering the lack of competition from his teammates.
He scored 24 goals in all competitions, including 18 in the Premier League, which included hat-tricks against Spurs and a pretty poor Norwich City, and a brace against Newcastle before they got the money.
Despite this, he was defeated by David De Gea in the casting votes for the club’s Players’ Player of the 2021-22 season.
Declan Rice- Westham
Declan Rice. Photo: Getty Images
Declan Rice of West Ham United was an entirely predictable choice given his steady performances this season.
The 23-year-old appeared in 50 games across all competitions, scoring five goals and assisting on four others.
Ben Johnson was named Young Player of the Year, while Jarrod Bowen was named Players’ Player of the Year.
James Maddison- Leicester
Leicesters’ Player of the Season prize went to James Maddison, who scored 18 goals across all competitions, an accomplishment lauded by fans if not Gareth Southgate.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a local lad, was named Young Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.
Mac Cucurella- Brighton
Cucurella was named Player of the Season and Most Remarkable Barnet by Brighton.
In his first season with Brighton, the left-back has made 35 Premier League appearances, scoring once and assisting once.
It doesn’t sound like much, but when your top scorer has nine goals, one goal is plenty.
Jeremy Sarmiento, an attacking midfielder who broke into the first team and made five Premier League appearances, was named Young Player of the Season.
Cucurella was also named Players’ Player of the Year, but that’s because he always brings plenty of shampoos to practise.
Jose Sa- Wolves
Jose Sa of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Photo: Getty Images
After claiming 11 clean sheets, Wolves’ Jose Sa was named the club’s leading award and the Players’ Player of the Season.
Without him, the tenth-placed team, which flirted with European qualification, could have fared much worse.
The Portuguese goalkeeper and his luxuriant ginger beard have had an excellent first season at Molineux. Bearded keepers should become more common.
Joelinton- Newcastle
Because the prize cannot be given to a Saudi prince, Newcastle had to settle for midfielder Joelinton.
The Brazilian appeared in 35 Premier League games for Newcastle, scoring four goals, two of which came against Brentford and Norwich – probably barely crucial in their relegation battle.
After realising he wasn’t a good striker, he moved into midfield, where he runs around more than he used to, and “captured the hearts of the United faithful in the process,
Conor Gallagher- Crystal Palace
Conor Gallagher. Photo: Getty Images
Conor Gallagher is an exciting young talent with the Eagles, having scored eight goals in 34 Premier League games and earning his first England cap.
Palace will still want to keep him for next season, but as a shop window’ player, others will as well. Everton is already sniffing around.
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