FWA Footballer of the Year FWA Footballer of the Year The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the FWA Footballer of the Year, or in England simply the Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football. The award has been presented since the 1947–48 season, when the inaugural winner was Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews. The latest winner of the award as of 2017–18 is Mohamed Salah of Liverpool. Eight players have won the award on more than one occasion, the most recent being Cristiano
South American Footballer of the Year for having won the most awards. Argentine club River Plate have had the most winners with seven awards. The most recent recipient of the award is Luan of Grêmio, who won in 2017. The award by newspaper "El Mundo" was awarded to the best South American footballer between 1971 and 1985. From 1986, the South American Footballer of the Year was named by "El País". South American Footballer of the Year The Rey del Fútbol de América ("King of Football of America"), often referred to as the South American Footballer of the Year, is an annual association football award presented