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 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 to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper "El Mundo", which awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper "El País" took over from 1986 onwards. Originally, journalists could vote for South American players at any club around the world, but in 1986, there was a change in rules to prohibit players not playing