Updated 12.25
GARETH BALE HAS been named as the Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.
The Tottenham Hotspur winger added another gong to his end-of-season collection after picking up both Player and Young Player of the Year at the PFA Awards bash last weekend.
Bale, who becomes the first Welshman to take the prize since Neville Southall in 1985, topped the poll with 53% of the vote.
He said: “This award has been won in the past by some of the greatest names in football and I consider it a privilege that the FWA have selected me to be named alongside them.”
Manchester United striker Robin van Persie was second with 43% while Chelsea’s Juan Mata was a distant third.
But there was no love from the writers for controversial Liverpool star Luis Suarez who received just two votes despite scoring 23 goals in the Premier League this season. The Uruguyan was considered a leading contender for the awards but lost massive support when he bit Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, a moment of madness that landed him with a 10-game ban from the FA.
Voting for the award closed at midday today with the result announced almost immediately by the FWA. The Association has approximately 400 members, with 91% casting a vote this year.
Leighton Baines, Pablo Zabaleta, Michu, Michael Carrick and Rickie Lambert were among those who also received votes.
